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HOUSE 



PORTRAITURE: 



EMBBAOIKO 



BBEEDING, REARING, AND TRAINING TROTTERS, WITH THEIR MANAQB- 

MENT IN THE STABLE AND ON THE TRACK, AND PREPARA- 

TION FOR RACES; INCLUDING HISTORIES OF 

THE HORSE AND HORSEMEN. 



WITH AN APPENDIX 

CONTAIN INO THE 

DESCRIPTION OP DEXTEB AND A PORTRAIT BY SCOTTi 



BT 

JOSEPH CAIRN SIMPSONS. 



NEW YORK: 
GEO. E. WOODWARD, PUBLISHER 



51 






t-v^v 



% 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by 

W. A. TOWNSEND & ADAMS, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Soatbern 

District of New York, 



Stereotyped by Smfth & MoDougal, 82 & 84 Beekman St 



To 

B^on. J'AMUS G^AJ^T, "Davenpori, lowa^ 

and 
M. S. ^AT^ICKy Usq., Chicago y nUnois: 

This work is dedicated, in token of the esteem in 

which they are held by the author, who enjoys 

their friendship, and has been benefited 

by their advice and counsel. 



IlfTTEODUOTIOI^. 



I PRESENT tliis, the pioneer work of its class, to the 
public, with both trepidation and confidence. Aware 
of the many faults in construction, style, and the 
manner in which the ideas are conveyed, I claim the 
leniency of my readers, and can only advance the 
plea, that as no writer, more scientific, polished, and 
practiced, had attempted the task, the errors of a 
novice in hterature would be overlooked and excused, 
that would meet with severe criticism in a Veteran 
Author. This book has been written in the hours 
intervening between the morning's drive and the 
evening's walk ; and when the rigors of winter put an 
end to active training, the labor of composition, and 
care of the horses, about equally divided the time. 

The practice recommended to be followed in these 
pages, in order that a horse may acquire condition 



2 INTEODUCTIOK. 

and learn to trot fast, I offer with confidence. The 
treatment advised is no pet theory, but the result of 
jears of practice, when the effects of any change in 
the work was anxiously watched for and carefully 
noticed. The system, as here exemplified, I have 
found the best that has come under my observation, 
and I do not hesitate to rest my name as a horse- 
man on the award of those who will give it a faith- 
ful trial. 

The chapters on sweating, food, and drink are not 
offered as being scientifically correct in a veterinary 
view. The want of a medical education would have 
prevented me from writing such a treatise, if I had 
been ambitious to do so ; but the results deduced 1 
know to be correct from the practical tests of every 
season's experience in training horses. 

Should this effort meet with the favor and support 
of the pubHc, I will be encouraged to follow the plan I 
have sketched, and continue the history of the trial 
stable in the journey from New York westwardly, 
through the main places to the Mississippi, and down 
that stream to New Orleans, describing the manage- 
ment when on the steamboat or railway car, with the 
care necessary to keep the horses in condition while 
traveling and frequently trotting in races, accompanied 



INTEODUCTION. 3 

with descriptions of scenery, coiu'ses, &c., and inci- 
dents illustrating turf sports. 

The reasons why I have broached subjects other than 
breeding and training are the same that would induce 
a person not to work a favorite colt entirely on the 
track. Allowing him at intervals to jog through shady 
lanes, where the hawthorn would shower its white 
blossoms on his glossy coat, and by the sea-shore or 
the river-bank, where the ripple of the wavelets would 
moisten the hoofs parched on the dry, hard gravel, 
he would return with new life, and knock off a few 
seconds from the time it had formerly taken him to 
accomplish a mile. And so the writer felt refreshed 
after wandering, and returned to the dry details of 
training, in better spirits and with a keener zest, to im- 
part what knowledge he possessed to those who join 
with him in enthusiastic admiration for " a fine horse 
and a fast trotter." 

JOS. CAIEN SIMPSON. 



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SUMMAET OF OOI^TEI^TS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAOI 
ISTBODUOTOBT. — Arrival of the " trial stable " 13 

CHAPTER n. 

Description of Never Mind. — Merits and defects in his form. — Cutting his quar- 
ters. — Naming horses. — History and description of Jane. — Proper manner of 
driving. — Guarding against striking the knee. — Contrivance to prevent a horse 
from striking, &c 19 

CHAPTER m. 

Poor feeders, probably caused by want of food when young, the stomach never 
recovering from the injury. — Camp life. — Smoking. — Old method of travel, 
ing with race horses. — Preceptor examines the Falcon. — His description of 
him. — Finds him nearly his ideal of a model roadster. — Pupil recounts his 
history up to that time. — Bad driving. — Debt to the Falcon acknowledged. — 
A home on the Mississippi 27 

CHAPTER IV. 

Patience required to teach a horse to trot. — Different breeds of trotters. — The 
pleasure there is in rearing fine colts. — History and description of Clipper. — 
Admixture of French blood promotes higher action. — Dangers of a bolter. — 
Best plan to drive one. — Contrivance that might be of benefit to stop a horse 
from "flying the track." — Manner of handling a horse in a break. — The ap- 
pearance of the horses shows that they have been well wintered, being in pro- 
per order to commence work. — Preceptor's remarks on wintering trotters. — 
Proper way to feed, and what the food should consist of. - Location of stable. — 
Picture of a fine natural situation for a breeding farm. — The kind of stock to 
breed from. — Examples of pedigrees. — Treatment of the colts, weaning, win- 
ter quarters, food, &o 43 

CHAPTER V. 

Breeding farm continued. — Description of the house, and grounds surrounding 
it. — Ornamental planting. — Out buildings.— Yards. — Further treatment of the 
colts the first winter. — Brood mares, their quarters, food, and treatment dur- 
ing pregnancy. — The stallion used on the breeding farm. — A western prairie. — 
Advantages possessed by Iowa for breeding fine horses 6!) 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VI. 

PAOB 

History of the colts in the trial stable. — May-day. — Hirondelle. — Disadvantages 
of a half-mile track for training. — Width of track.— Importance of a horse 
learning to recover from a break without swerving. — Best soil for a track. — 
Mavourneen.— Oriole. — " Four white feet and a white nose." — Lexington and 
Sallie Waters. — Lexington at the St. Louis Fair. — Clamor about horses break- 
ing. — Advantages gained in teaching a horse to go without breaking. — King. — 
Pedigree and description. — ^Wildness when a colt. — Failure of knee straps .... 76 



CHAPTER Vn. 

Bemarks about May weather. — The beauty of the American climate contrasted 
with that of England.— The walk to the blacksmith's shop. — A trainer's prac- 
tice of giving his horses hard work.— Walking.— The reasons why horses are 
walked in training. — The benefits and damages from carrying it too far. — 
Amount of clothing required when walking. — Remarks of the Preceptor on 
shoeing.- The plan he formerly followed. — The system adopted, and the reasons 
for the change.— The swedged shoe, and a "low hold" for the nails.— Proper 
form for the hind shoe to guard against cutting the quarters. — Preparing the 
foot to receive the shoe.— Tlie wall of the foot only, allowed to be cut.— Black- 
smiths not to be permitted to do a " finished job " by rasping the outside of 
the foot. — The weight of Never Mind's shoe, and the precautions taken 
against " grabbing." — Snatching a horse when in a break the frequent cause 
of cutting the quarters and striking the knee. — The evils of a short mar- 
tingale. — The reasons for wearing a light hind shoe. — Diflference between shoes 
and plates, and the effects of weight in the shoe on the action of the horse. — 
Making the sides of the shoe of unequal weight. — The reasons for so doing. — 
Treatment recommended for injury to the knee from having been struck. — 
Loss of a fine colt from the shoeing inducing the lock-jaw 



CHAPTER Vm. 

Hot ley to a punctured foot a preventive of lock-jaw. — Importance of stable 
management to forward condition. — Division and arrangement of the horses. — 
Grooming. — Can be carried too far. — Value of a good groom. — Sweating 
facilitates the removal of the dandruff.— Arrangement of the stalls. — Fur- 
niture and necessary articles, and how to take care of them. — Rules to be ob- 
served by the stablemen. — Qualification and encouragement of the boys. — 
Instance of cruelty in a groom. — Hair mittens — IIow to rub a horse. — 
Material for rubbers. — The wisp. — Skewers, and their uses.— Bandages. — 
Thoroughbreds for trotters.— The use of bandages.— Wet and dry bandages. — 
When the legs are swollen, how they should be applied. — Reasons for employing 
wet bandages — How to apply a bandage. — Uses of, when a horse is at e.xerc'se. 
— Benefits of pressure to reduce swelling. — Clothing. — The quantity to be 
used. — The kind needed for sweating. — Care of the clotiiiug —Decoration. — 
Order and sobriety essential in all those who are employed in the stable. — 
Necessity for condition in race horses imperative. — The effects of sweating 
must be studied.—" Washy " and " baked " horses. — The setting muzzle 105 



CONTENTS. Vll 

CHAPTER IX. 

PAGB 

Indigestion. — Eclipse and Henry. — Tlie epicure. — Speckled troui. — The mode 
of cooking them in the woods. — A straight bit in a horse's mouth compels 
him to masticale his food better. — Kepler's story. — Breeding farm resumed. 
—Field for the yearlings. — Short herbage the best. — Feeding during the sum- 
mer. — Salting. — Haltering. — Examination of the feet. — The horn to be kept 
in a proper shape. — Corn as food for colts. — A variety of grain recommended. 
— High feeding, prejudices against it.— Instances of longevity in thorough- 
breds that have been well nurtured. — American Eclipse. — His great age. — 
Training two-year-olds. — Capacity of the well-bred one to stand work. — The 
fastest Cesarawitch. — The winner. — Mr. Sykes, a half-bred. — Letter from an 
American breeder in England. — His astonishment at the size of the colts. — 
Age of imported horses. — Instance of great speed in a trotter for a quarter of 
a mile. — His inability to " stay." — Reasons for the withdrawal of horses from 
the turf when young. — Betsey. — Malone. — Charmer. — Training stable on the 
breeding farm. —The location, and ground plan, showing the arrangement of 
the stalls, walk, and alley. — Description of the arrangements, and method of 
taking care of the provender and grain. — Capacity in cubic feet of the upper 
story. — Foreman's room.— Books, pictures. — Material for building. — Cost. — 
Guards against dampness, &c 119 

CHAPTER X. 

The evening walk. — The benefit Clipper's legs would have derived from blister- 
ing. — Iodine recommended to be given him. — Bandaging and wet sponges. — 
Eemedies for swollen legs. — Remarks on walking. — Necessity for discrimina- 
tion. — Time required to get a horse in condition ^The three stages of pre- 
paration. — The amount the horses eat in the first stage to be increased as they 
progress. — Routine of feeding, work, and duties during the first stage, with 
the time they are to be fed, watered, and exercised. — Where to commence the 
walk. — Its effects on the muscles "Working with colts. — The fight at the quar- 
ter race. — Shakespeare's description of the horse of Adonis. — "Speed gives 
bottom." — SjTnmetry of form a quality of the blood horse. — Colt stakes. — 
Danger of working them on a hard track — Colts playing in a pasture-field 
taking more exercise than would be required to prepare them for a 3 in 5 race. 
— Colt races more interesting than those of hackneyed performers — Starring. 
— Hippodroming. — Mercury 136 

CHAPTER XI. 

The importance of good weather for horses to acquire condition. — Their work 
should be given if the weather is unfavorable. — Horses cannot be conditioned 
without work. — Directions for working in the mud. — Effects of moisture on the 
feet. — Injury done with the knife and rasp. — Govermental aid solicited to 
further the improvements of horses. — Argument in favor of a donation by 
Congress. — The necessity for better horses for military purposes. — General 
Grant at the Illinois State Fair.— Naming a colt.— Quotation from the "■English 
at Home." — Female loveliness, and race horses. — The horse and civilization. — 
Stable tricks. — Crib-biting. — Weaving. — Pawing. — Dislike to go through a 
doorway. — Kicking the sides of the stall. — A stall that cured a kicker 148 



Viii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XII. 

PAQB 

Building a track on the breeding farm. — Tlie form, a parallelogram connected 
with semi-circlea. — Eeason for plowing it deep. — Form of a track scraper, and 
manner of using it. — Track harrow. — Brush for sweeping the track. — How to 
make it. — Prairie soil an admirable material.— Fencing.— Close board. — Wire, 
with growing cottonwood for supports. — Breaking the colts the fall after 
they are a year old. — Details of the method employed. — Lessons to be given 
before they are put in the shafts. — A practical exemplification. — The cruelty 
of the old plan of bitting.— Forming a mouth — AUonging. — Breaking the 

check. The Kemble Jackson check. — Commands to be distinctly given and 

rigidly enforced Style and fast trotting compatible. — Horses to be closely 

watched to apportion the feed rightly. — Teeth to be looked after 161 

CHAPTER Xm. 

Bits. — Snaffle. — Bar. — Chain. — Leather Curb — The snafHe, the best adapted 

for all horses of any one pattern. — Necessity for frequent changes to find out 
which suits the best. — The injury done to colts' mouths with the old appli- 
ances. — The chain bit can be made very severe. — Pulling horses. — Patents for 
controlling them. — ^The only cure is not to puU at them. — Chiffney' s slack rein. 
— Not " taking hold of the bit." — The reason why they do not — The bearing 
rein in the education of the trotter. — The Kemble Jackson check. — The 
advantages of the check and driving bit being distinct. — Illustration of the 
effects of the head check. — The weight differently distributed by elevating the 
head, as shown by experiments of French veterinarians. — When the Kemble 
Jackson should be used, and when avoided. — AUonging with a small rope. — 
If proper care is observed, there is no danger to the feet and legs. — Instance 
where a curb bit was of benefit — Trotting on Michigan Avenue. — Carrying 
the tongue out of the mouth, a large leather bit often cures the habit — Soreness 
of the angles of the lips, wash for it. — Contrivance to keep the bit in the lower 
part of the mouth. — Pulling on one rein. — Harry Hieover's advice. — Callosities. 
— Retrospect of tlie training. — Time to recuperate. — Inertness of the muscles. 
— Food. — Fat forming necessary. — ^Walking exercise. — Roman bath. — Pirec- 
tions for working the colts, &c 175 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The return of the Preceptor from his country jaunt. — His description of Silver 
Lake and the residence of his friends. — The Falcon is harnessed, and driven 
by the Preceptor. — He is delighted with him. — Instructions for working. — 
Difference between the track and road. — Never Mind is harnessed. — A habit 
of backing. — How a mare was treated " that would not stand for a person to 
get into the wagon." — Breaking King. — The mode adopted — The work the 
colts have had. — Green food, and bran mashes. — The benefit of allowing a 
horse to pick grass. — Van Leer's method. — May-day, her form and action. — 
The ERt of her hocks and hind legs influencing her gait. — Cutting between 
the coronet and upper pastern joint. — tlow to remedy it. — The way a horse 
moves hia feet iu the trot and gallop Speedy cut. — Delle Nervousness.. . . 189 



CONTEN"TS. IX 

CHAPTER XV. 

PA OB 

Preceptor relates his manner of life in the country — Description of Mr. P 

and his daughters 207 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Oriole and Mavourneen. — A sylvan pictui-e. — A love for the beautiful not in- 
compatible with training horses Necessity for a liberal education. Incipient 

lameness often shown by a change in the walk A divided nail in a horse's 

foot. — Less liability to accidents from the present system of shoeing. — Never 
Mind's ni.anner of walking — The probiible cause. — The necessity for sweating 
him. — Commencement of his preparation for the sweat. — Physic. — Reasons for 
not using it. — How it acts. — Lassitude following it — How to get rid of super- 
fluous matter without purges. — The more a horse eats the more work he will 
require. — ^The study of Hippopathology. — Remedy for looseness of the bowels. 
Colts scouring. — A homoeopathic prescription. — Cruelty of quacks 21T 

CHAPTER XVn. 

Harnessing. — How to harness a trotter. — The bad effect of the martingale being 
too short. — ^The method of different drivers to recover a horse from a break. — 
The Preceptor's plan. — Horses pulling when scoring. — The advantage of "get- 
ting away from the score" well. — Remarks about driving Jane. — Governing the 

temper A moment of passion may render nugatory the teaching of weeks. — 

Messenger blood in Maine. — Driving on the ice. — How to shoe for ice driving. 
— Care of horses when driven in the winter. — Trottiug on the Chicago river. — 
An exciting race. — "A runaway" 229 

CHAPTER XVIH. 

The after-dinner smoke. — Further remarks on the martingale. — Harry Hieover's 
and Carl Benson's views. — Running and standing martingales. — Importance of 

the first lessons Pulling horses, and those that are easily driven. — Fashion.— 

Miss Foote. — Launcelot. — Blinders. — The proper adjustment of bridles. — 
Cleaning and preparation of feed. — Mixing hominy and oats. — Horse commis- 
sary department. — Oats, hominy, corn, and bran. — Oatmeal and sago. — The 
amount of bran on oats, barley, and wheat. — Tlie effects of corn on " washy 
horses" 245? 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Regularity in exercising — ^The work of Never Mind on the day preceding the 
sweat. — Conversation on sweating. — The objects of sweating. — Relief to the 
respiratory organs — Benefit to the muscles. — Horses not liable to "bake" 

when this plan of sweating is followed The action of the heart and lungs 

during fast work. — Greater increase of respiration than arterial action. — Dif- 
ference between a fat horse becoming tired, and one in condition. — Powers of 
recuperation. — The diaphragm. — Fat within the chest. — How fat impedes the 
action of the heart. — Change in the blood. — Its passage to the extremities. — 
Gretting rid of the watery particles. — Oily matter in the per.spiration. — Sub- 
traction of the fatty globules probably makes the blood easier to propel. — 
Rhythm of the pulse and step. — Lungs, heart, muscles, and digestive organs, 



X CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

all benefited by judicious sweating. — Expansion of the chest. — Intercostal 
muscles. — Modificn,tioiis of sweating. — Injury to the lungs permanent. — Fat, 
where deposited. — Change in the muscles from work. — Roman bath. — Increase 
in the size of the muscles as the fat is wasted. — The local effects of sweat- 
ing. — Illustrations.— Benefit of a well shaped neck. — Strain of the loin. — In- 
terval between the sweats. — "Drawing" a horse. — Long and short races. — 
Seasoning. — Effects of scoring. — Inducing perspiration between heats. — How 
to induce perspiration. — Manner of clothing. — A race where the favorite was 
beaten, probably owing to suppressed perspiration 256 

CHAPTER XX. 

An adventure in St. Louis — Intricacies of sweating. — Decarbonization of the 
blood through the pores of the skin. — Purifying the skin. — Constant grooming 
produces soreness. — Dandruff. — The effects of sweating on the skin. — The 
veins of the thoroughbred prominent and large. — Insensible perspiration. — 
Black Maria. — Mr. Stevens' training stable. — Advantages of scales to weigh 
horses after the sweats. — Haney's Maria. — Improvement in tracks, horses, and 
training. — Difference between sweating colts and old horses. — Not so necessary 
to reduce colts. — Mash previous to sweating. — How to make it. — Remarks on 
driving and shoeing May-day. — Directions for feeding Never Mind the night 
before the sweat 280 

CHAPTER XXI. 

The morning of the sweat. — Temperature. — The management when postponed. — 
Muzzling. — Bedding. — Other material than straw. — Advantages of sand. — 
"Wallowing bed." — Never Mind's walk. — The preparation. — How he was 
clothed. — Guards against injuring himself. — How to prepare the drink. — The 
work he received. — Management in the stable. — Inducing a free flow of 
perspiration. — How to prolong it, and when to stop. — Scraping and rubbing. — 
Adjustment of the clothes. — Restriction in his drink, and the reasons for it. — 
The walk after the sweat. — His appearance, final care, and how to feed. — 
Reasons for putting additional clothing on, when first brought into tlie stable. 
— The manner of sweating will vary as the preparation proceeds. — Driving Jane. 
— Breeding trotters. — The teachings of the past. — Messenger. — George Wilkes, 
Dexter, and General Butler. — ^The Pilot family. — Andrew Jackson. — Jupiter. — 
Eysdyk's Hanibletonian.— Tabular pedigree.— His in-breeding. — Hambletonian's 
Andrew Jackson and One Eye. — Crosses of Messenger in the Falcon. — The 
Hanibletonian, and American Star cross. — Cassius M. (Jlay. — Geo. M. Patchen. 
— Wm. T. Porter's description of Abdallah. — Mr. Morris' certificate of the 
blood of Mambrino. — Ariel, her exploits. — Tabular pedigree showing her in- 
breeding to Messenger 294 

CHAPTER XXIT. 

Danger of smoking in the stable. — Care of Never Mind. — Loose boxes and stalls. 
— Horses should not be disturbed. — Injury to the elbow while lying down. — 
Remedies. — (Jharles Lamb. — Quotation from the Turf Rcgiater about Mes- 
senger. — Partial histiu'y of him. — Di.ssoniination of blood in the North-east. — 
Trotters of the oldon time — Paul Pry. — Further consideration of the Mes- 
senger blood. — Goldsmith marc. — Major Winfield. — Squire Bingham. — Sir 
Archy. — Planet. — Bonnie Scotland. — Horse Heraldry 312 



CONTENTS. Xi 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

PAGE 

Pedigree copied from an advertisement. — The importance of the weather in 
training operations. — A "green horse." — Pleasure and disappointment. — Train- 
er wrongfully hlaraed. — Jealousy. — The work the day after the sweat. — Signs 
showing thiit the sweating was not overdone. — Directions for driving the Fal- 
con and Jane. — Precepts to he enforced in breaking horses. — Mental power. — 
Clipper. — Firing. — Percival's remarks on firing. — May's performance in new 
shoes. — Changing the ground surface of horse's feet. — Directions how to pro- 
ceed with the horses for the ensuing three weeks' work. — Sweating, feed, 
bandages, rattles, &c 329 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Day-dreams. — Scotch character. — An old nurse. — The food of horses in training. 
Hay. — Corn blades. — Straw. — The best hay. — How to determine it. — The time 
to cut. — Mowburnt hay. — Corn blades, their advantages, and how to feed 
them. — Effect of diet on the respiratory organs. — Lord H. Seymour's stable in 
France. — The uses of straw as food, when training. — Prairie hay. — Prairie on 
fire. — Immunity from heaves in horses that are fed on prairie liay. — Objections 
to it. — Thick and thin seeding. — Table of relative value of different kinds of 
food. — Stemming corn-blades. — Pulling hay. — Time for feeding hay. — " Crav- 
ing" and delicate horses. — Oats. — Proportion of carbon and nitrogen in oats. — 
Light and heavy oats.— The qualities they should have, and how to test them. 
— Corn. — Bran. — Lindseed-meal. — Oat-meal. — Sago. — Sago when horses are 
"baked." — Number of feeds in a day. — Time of giving them. — Green food. — 
The benefits of it to horses in train. — Cutting grass, and grazing. — New way to 
give horses excercise. -Watering horses after driving. — Directions for driving 
Never Mind 344 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Letter from Chicago. — Pupil recounts the work he has given the horses in the 
absence of the Preceptor. — Driving wlien the rattles are worn. — Knee action 
increased by driving on sandy roads. — Effects of snow on colts. — AUonging. — 
Sherry wine between heats. — When it should be given. — Water. — Rain, river, 
and spring water. — Danger of change of water. — Airing. — Temperature. — 
Acidulating. — Light feeders to be encouraged to driuli. — The amount to be 
given. — Frequency of watering. — Gruel. — Sponging mouth and nostrils: — The 
difference in sweating the Falcon, and Never Mind. — Sweating Jane. — Instruc- 
tions for driving. — The work for the next two weeks. — Minute directions for 
the management for that period. — Capacity of swallowing 363 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Cutting the quarters. — How to dress the wound. — Horses should not go out too 
early in the morning. — Preceptor examines the Falcon. — Remarks on his condi- 
tion. — How to judge of a horse being iu order. — The appearance of horses 
w'Jion in condition. — Pupil gives a history of the work the horses have had for 
the past three weeks. — Preceptor's couiinents. — Errors iu Pupil's management 
of Never Mind.— The benefit of trotting horses in races to further their condi- 



XTl CONTENTS. 



pac;h 

tion. — The Preceptor's ideas of the best form for a model roadster. — " Points," 

and why a particular form gives superiority. — Nerve force. — How to detect it. — 
Action. — The natural action a horse should have to make a trotter. — Long and 
short horses. — Driving colts. — How they ought to be worked, sweated, &c... 378 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Walking in the dew. — Hoof ointments. — Cracked heels. — How. to dress them. — 
Glycerine, and its uses. — Driving the Falcon, with instructions from the Pre- 
ceptor. — Care after the dx-ive, and bow he is to be treated in the future. — The 
race, the best school to teach horses to trot. — How to manage a "dark 
horse." — Tlse work of Never Mind. — How to drive him to keep him oflf his 
quarters, and manage him in a break. — Galloping a horse with a trotter. — 
Driving Jane. — Her speed and length of stride. — Short and long striding 
horses. — The stride of horses, with diagrams showing the position of the feet 
in the trot and gallop. — Length of stride explained. — Advantages of measuring 
strides so as to know the reasons for a falling oS in speed. — May's trial.— 
Necessity for further care that she does not strike her pastern. — Skill more 
effectual in managing a horse than physical strength. — Running away. — The 
order horses should be in when commencing a campaign J 400 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Trials.— Weather and track favorable for making fast time. — The way the horses 
were prepared for the trial. — The Preceptor recommands changes. — Time re- 
quired for digestion. — Clipper's legs. — Symptoms of "breaking down." — Ef- 
fects of weight. — Qualifications of a driver. — Trial of the Falcon. — Directions 
for driving. — Difference in the appearance of the sweat. — Instructions for driv- 
ing Never Mind. — His first mile. — Scraping him on the track, and the reasons 
for doing so. — How to drive him in the repeat. — The time made. — His dis- 
tress. — How to recover him. — The after care. — Preceptor's instructions how to 
feed, work, &c., tiU the morning of the race 416 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Never Mind, trots in a race. — Minute instructions for driving. — M.anagement be- 
fore the race. — The treatment between the heats, and the care after it is 
finished. — The manner of feeding, making a mash proper for a horse to eat 
after a bard race.— Boots, &c 430 



APPENDIX 
Dexter. — His Measnrement and Description. 4W 

Index ,45» 



HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 



CHAPTEE I. 

IKTBODUCTOKY — ^AKRIVAI, OF THE "TRIAL STABLE." 

Pupil. — Good morning, my esteemed Tutor. You per- 
ceive I have taken you at your word, and have come with 
my whole family, bideps and quadrupeds, to avail myseK 
of your kind teachings. Nature smiles on the commence- 
ment ; I never remember a morning when everything 
looked more gay and cheerful. A choir of birds in every 
tree, making melody such as you cannot hear where gas 
pollutes the air, and the caller air exhilarating like cham- 
pagne, the very poetry of breathing. Look at that black 
thoroughbred, the one with no ear pieces to his hood. He 
is teUing you, as plainly as though he was gifted with 
speech, that he enjoys it, and wants you to know it. He 
is a physiognomist, and the first glance at you told him 
that you knew the next most difficult thing to a woman, 
a horse, as old Sam Weller says. Look at the beaming 
of the hazel eye, the expression of the long, slim ears — it 
would be a sin to cover them with ear pieces — the exten- 
ded muzzle and expanded nostril inhaling the aerial treat, 
while his eye enjoys the beauty of the scenery. But I do 
not want to tire you at the outset ; so come to the stable, 
where I will introduce to you the pupils of your pupil, 



14 HOESEPOETKAITURE. 

telling you wliat is not apparent, history, pedigree, con- 
stitution, tricks, &c. 

Peeceptoe. — When I made you the promise of teaching 
you my craft of managing and training trotters, I hardly 
expected you would give me so good an opportimity, for 
I should judge, from the looks of your string, that you 
had nearly a specimen brick of ah kinds, and I will wager 
a dozen of wine that I can give a good guess at their 
different natm-al quahties. What they have acquired 
from bad teachings would be harder to tell. Let us move 
to the stable, where we will become more particularly 
acquainted. Looking at a horse in his clothes is a good 
deal like telling what a book will be from knowing the 
author — you have a notion of his ideas ; and you can see 
a horse's eye^a gi-eat part of the animal, for I never 
knew a good one that you could not see something of his 
character in the eye. Yet the spirit and will may be there 
without the capabihty of performing : that you have to 
judge of from the form and muscular development. 

Trotters "go in all forms," as well as runners. 

There would have been more truth in the proverb if it 
said a variety of shapes all tending to the same model. 
Some time I will acquaint you with what I consider the 
best form for a roadster ; and what is more enjoyable than 
a drive, such a morning as this ? A good horse, Hght, 
easy running wagon, with the road smooth, so that you 
can let him "g-long," and work off the superabundance 
of animal spmts that the fresh air you speak of gives a 
horse, as well as those birds that are giving vent to theirs 
in joyous song and animated flight. For youngsters hke 
you, a gallop may be more congenial to the hot blood, 
but when you arrive on the shady side of fifty, then the 
smooth running wagon is the thing. 

Pupil. — Fond as I am of mounting the back of a 



DELIGHTS OF THE ROAD. 15 

thoroughbred, and galloping over verdant turf, every 
bound of the horse sending the blood dancing through 
my veins, — as different from the sluggish stream in the ar- 
teries of the votaries of fashion, as the mountain brook is 
opposite to a Mississippi bayou, — yet I can enjoy the de- 
lights of the road as well as my elders. A bright morn- 
ing ere the dew is off the gi-ass ; the sun's rays gilding 
the eastern slopes of the hills ; and you jog along listening 
to the measured footfall of your horse, musical in its 
cadence. Half a dozen miles are accomplished nearly in 
half an hour, when you hear what appears like the echo 
of your steed's tramp. One ear is thrown back, the five 
minute gait is changed to something faster, a sharper 
hold is taken of the bit. You are hardly aware of the 
cause for the change, until some one pulls out for you, 
and away you go, neck and neck ; the grade is httle des- 
cending, and the weight of the one hundi-ed and thirty 
pound buggy is not felt. Steady, my boy, you have got 
him skipping, he leaves his feet and is pawing frantically 
in the air. You slide away a few lengths, and take your 
horse in hand ready for another brush. This is the excite- 
ment of the morning drive. In the evening the pair is 
harnessed ; this time you have a companion, perhaps a 
friend with whom you talk horse, the salient points of 
the last race, the relative qualities of the roadsters you 
are both acquainted with, the benefit of a strong dash of 
blood for the road as well as for the turf, &c. The halt 
at the frequented horse hotel, arguments as to which of 
the quadrupeds under the shed is the fastest ; the friend- 
ly match for a few hundi-ed to test it on the Fashion 
or Union, and home again, with something else to think 
of than the rise or fall of gold, stocks or grain, or smooth- 
Lag out a furrow or two made by what you think may 
turn out a bad investment. Or, in place of the friend who 
talks horse, your companion wears Number Three gaiter 



16 HOESE PORTRAITURE. 

boots, a jaunty bonnet, witli a stray curl for the wind to 
toss away from the "cheeks like lilies dipt in wine." You 
can hardly recall what has been said, but you never will 
forget the thrill, as the tapering arm was placed on yours, 
as you let them speed along the smooth road ; and then 
in the winter — the same partner, a "duck of a sleigh" — 
but hold, I am running away with myself, and have al- 
ready said enough to convince you that I am as enthusi- 
astically fond of a dash on the road, as a saU in the 
pigskin. 

Pkeceptoe. — Both are good ; and though I have grown 
grey and old in the profession, as you may term it, of 
training horses, yet the same feelings come over me as 
when young, and I am only kept from showing them, for 
fear of the invidious remark of "what airs that old fool 
is putting on." Years are not the true test of age. For 
instance — you will pardon the comparison, but the horse 
is so intimately blended with my feehngs I cannot help 
it — when you see some veteran of the turf whose youth 
and prime were a series of hard contests, led out of 
the stable, how hard it is to believe he is what would be 
termed old. Cui-viug his neck and proudly caracoling, 
he has more sense than to be ashamed of his youthful 
feelings, but his master — while acknowledging his sense 
— is ashamed of copying from an animal that he stigma- 
tizes with the name of brute. Without wishing to recall 
what I said about the smooth running wagon, there are 
times I would dehght in a gallop that would stir the 
blood. There is enjoyment for me in rapid locomotion 
that I cannot well explain, and I have often envied the 
Englishmen their exciting sport of fox-hunting, which 
young and old follow with so much zest. My only 
acquaintance with it is from reading, and the enthusi- 
astic reports of those who have taken part in the di- 
version. Yet I fancy there is more pleasure in it than 



APOEMBYBULWEE. 17 

any one but an ardent horseman would imagine from 
hearing the most %ivid account of some celebrated rvm. 
There is a little piece of 2>oetry, written by one of the 
titled sons of that country whose boast is that it sur- 
passes all others for beautiful woman, fine horses and 
grand trees. I read it more than a score of years ago for 
the first time, and have read it so often that I still know 
every word of it. I will repeat it, but my rehearsal will 
not do it justice. It may not even be good poetry, I do 
not claim to be a judge of what the critics would call 
good, stiU it is fair to presume that what pleased me so 
well, wUl have some charms for you: — 

Come forth, my 'brave steed — the sun shines on the vale. 
And the morning is bearing its balm on the gale, 
Come forth, my brave steed, and brush oflF as we pass, 
With the hoofs of thy speed, the bright dew from the grass. 

Let the lover go warble his strains to the fair — 
I regard not his rapture, and heed not his care ; 
But now, as we bound o'er the mountain and lea, 
I'll wave, my brave steed, a mild measiu-e to thee. 

Away and away — I exult in the glow 
Which is breaking its pride to my cheek as we go ; 
And blithely my spirit springs forth as the air 
Which is waving the mane of thy dark flowing hair. 

Hail, thou gladness of heart and thou freshness of soul, 
Which have never come o'er me in pleasure's control — 
Which the dance and the revel, the bowl and the board, 
Tho' they flush'd and they fever'd, could never afford. 

In the splendor of solitude speed we along, 

Thro' the silence but broke by the wild linnet's song; 

Not a sight to the eye, not a sound to the ear, 

To tell us that sin and that sorrow are near. 

Away and away, and away then we pass — 
The blind mole shall not hear the light foot on the grass ; 
And the time which is flying, while I am with thee. 
Seems as swift as thyself as we bound o'er the lea. 



18 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

Pupil. — Yoxir declamation, I think, is superior to the 
poetry, while the subject is one that will stir the blood 
like the sound of a trumpet. The author, Sir E. Lytton 
Bulwer, has won a world-wide reputation by what he has 
written — some of it certainly inferior to that. Still I am 
pleased that you recited it to me. I have read it, but 
was rather disappointed, looking for something superior 
from the talented author. Your recital was like Sir 
Walter Scott's acting a warlike, Scottish ballad — when, 
with walking stick in rest and brent brow, he looked the 
very impersonification of ':he ancient knight he knew so 
weU how to portray. I shall always think you out of 
place sitting in the sulkey, "hick, haying" and making 
aU the uncouth noises imaginable to encourage your own 
horse and distiu-b your adversaries ; but here we are at 
the stables. Ho ! boys, take the clothes off. Lead out 
your horses. 



CHAPTEE II. 

DESCRIPTION OF " NEVEK MIND " AND " JANE " — NAMES, 
DRIVING, ETC. 

Pupil. — Here is one raised "away down" m Maine. 
Wlien three years old, lie was taken to the fruitful soil 
and more genial climate of Illinois. Showing at times a 
great deal of speed, but generally single footing, and 
hitching, with other disagreeable qualities that severely 
tested the patience of his owner. One year he was placed 
in the hands of a man who had some celebrity as a trainer, 
but he utterly failed to improve him. In fact, he was 
worse than ever last fall, not being able to trot square a 
step, having been ingloriously beaten by a horse that 
could not trot better than fifty. I saw him two or three 
times while in this man's hands, and fancied there were 
several reasons why he had not done better. From some 
slight irritation in his throat, he is frequently troubled 
with a cough which was set down as heaves. He was 
strictly confined to prairie hay, selecting that in which 
there was the most resin weed. This being a powerful 
dimretic, affected his kidneys. Being in fine order and 
high spirited when the trainer first commenced driving him 
he became timorous, and feared his running away. This 
led him to give him more severe work than he ought to have 
done. A great share of this work was given under clothing, 
heavy blankets, hoods and wrappers, till the poor animal 
was reduced to a mere skeleton, looking Hke some veteran 



20 HOESE POETEAITUEE. 

four-mile race horse, at the close of a hard season's cam- 
paign. He actually reeled in his walk, and I fancy he has 
never overcome the habit, and still walks as if he was 
strained in the loin. 

His sire is said to have been thoroughbred, and from 
his appearance he is undoubtedly possessed of a good deal 
of breeding. I am very sangToine of his going fast, and 
hope, under your guidance, not to be disappointed. 

Preceptok. — There is certainly nothing in his form to 
prevent him, and if his education has always been of the 
kind he was tortured with last summer, and he displays 
speed at times, we will give him a " fair show," trusting, 
by proper management, to overcome the faulty tuition, 
and take the crook out of the bent twig. His shape is 
certainly good, more so than the average of our fast ones; 
his neck and shoulders are very fine, his barrel first-rate, 
with good hmbs. The worst points I see are a slackness 
about the loin, and narrowness of the head, betokening a 
foohshness which will require careful handling not to 
augment. The white stripe hghts up his face, animating 
his countenance, relieving it in a great measure from the 
bad effects that would otherwise be apparent from the 
narrowness of the skull I spoke of. I agree with you that 
he shows a good deal of blood, which is all that probably 
saved him through the ordeal of blankets and rugs, 
scrapers and rubbers. I see from the scars, he has been 
grabbing his quarters, and I should judge he had some 
pretty severe wounds. This may have occurred from 
faulty shoeing or bad driving. Very few horses properly 
shod and handled wiU cut themselves., though there are 
exceptions. I have known several thn,t nothing would 
avert the blow, save the best of boots made by Gibson, or 
some one equally well versed in the manufacture of that 
part of horse equipments ; but that and shoeing will come 
more appropriately as we progress. What name do you 



NAMES FOR HORSES. 21 

call this high-headed brown ? We will mutually have to 
know all their various cognomens, in order to understand 
which one we are talking about without circumlocution. 

Pupil. — "Never Mind." No disrespect intended, for 
this horse is called Never Mind. The nomenclature of 
horses is something that might be greatly improved. I 
do not offer this as the result of my efforts in that hne, 
and some other time will explain. We are too much 
given either to name horses after our acquaintance, until 
one is at a loss to know whether the biped or quadruped 
is meant, or follow some celebrity till the names are mul- 
tiplied in the register, and we are equally puzzled to un- 
derstand which of the many wearing the same title is in- 
tended. 

Pkeceptor. — As a general thing the English are more 
happy in the christening of their horses than we, though 
Lord George Bentinck, and others, " not near so smart," 
gave some of them names that were neither appropriate 
nor poetical, as "All 'round my hat," " Here I go with an 
eye out," will testify. Yet, in a majority of cases, their 
flyers have possessed very good ones, as Harkaway — that 
grand horse, unfortunate in being in the possession of 
one of the guerrillas of the turf. Beeswing, t'auld mare, 
whose defeat at Newcastle made strong, sturdy coal 
miners weep like children ; but they were not often called 
on to mourn in this way, she winning fifty-one races out 
of sixty-four starts, a feat — or rather succession of them — 
unparalleled in sporting annals ; Touchstone, the progen- 
itor of hundreds of winners ; West Australian, marking 
an era by his triple victory, to be repeated by the colt 
bred under the sunny skies of France. Old Queen Mary's 
daughter, Bhnk Bonny, and grandson, Blair Athol, carry 
yOu to the blooming heather and bonny braes, where you 
can smell the perfume of the birk and hawthorn, where 
the gowan and the modest primrose are peering above the 

2 



23 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

grass on the burnside, the Hntwhite and mavis singing in 
the glen. 

True, we have had Bonnets o' Bhie, Flirtilla, Cassandra, 
Lady Lightfoot, Peytona, Charmer, Idlewild, Timoleon, 
Pacolet, Grracchus — all very good names, which cannot be 
said of Creath, the pronunciation of which caused almost 
as much discussion in this country as the famous IKonea 
controversy did in England ; Joe Blackburn, Geo. M. 
Patchen, Ked Bill, Hornblower, Red Oak, &c. 

How happy Peytona must have been, when her name 
was changed from GlumdalcHtch to th.e proud one the 
winning of the $150,000 stake entitled her to wear. Un- 
der the former she never could have beaten the peerless 
Fashion, that vindicated her claim to be the top of the 
mode by re-conquering the Victrix, after being in a " little 
better fix." 

PopiL. — I am well pleased to find that others have been 
giving this matter thought as well as myself, and when we 
come to the babies I have brought to commence their 
schooling, will be much obhged to have you assist me in 
giving them names they may wear with honor to them- 
selves and pleasure to us. This lengthy bay mare I sim- 
ply call Jane. Her hfe, Hke Never Mind's, has not been 
one of strange vicissitude, but a sameness of bad manage- 
ment that would have made human subjects incoiTigible. 
When I first got her, it was claimed she was by G-leucoe, 
her dam by Bertrand, the mother of Andy Bui-t. Her 
glossy silken coat, strong muscular development, and 
high life, corroborated the statement ; but her eyelids 
are heavy, her pasterns short, her shoulders rather too 
upright, while her mane and tail has a wave, almost a 
curl, that always caused me to doubt the truth of this as- 
sertion, and on making inquiry found that on her mother's 
si ie alone she could claim aristocratic lineage. 

In a conversation with Mr. Frank Harper, of IVIidway, 



HISTOETOF^JANE." 23 

Kentucky, he iBformed me tliat he was her breeder, that 
her dam was by Bertrand, left with him by a man who 
had emigrated to the Pacific slope. Her sire was a 
French Canadian pacer owned by him. She was bought 
by a gentleman, who, after making a fortune in business 
in Cincinnati, bought a large farm in that beautiful coun- 
try that surrounds Madison, Wisconsin, erecting fine 
buildings, and stocking it with animals that cost a " heap 
of money." Unfortunately, he had not sufiicient knowl- 
edge of either farming or stock breeding to make either 
pleasant or profitable. After spending all he had made 
in fine buildings and foohsh experiments, — as an illustra- 
tion of which I was informed that in one season he grew 
one hundi'ed and sixty acres of carrots ; his large cellars 
were filled, new ones made, but they would not hold a 
quarter of his root crops alone — ^his stock and farm were 
sold. 

He commenced teaching Jane to trot when she was 
three years old, driving an old trotting mare, and leading 
the colt behind the wagon. She was broken very easily, 
proving kind and tractable, but when aroused possessed 
of a very high temper. 

He built a track, and employed a man who represented 
himself as being a competent trainer. The farm by this had 
become very irksome, and most of his time was spent in 
Chicago and Detroit. The self- recommended man proved 
not only worthless as a trainer, but a drunken loafer. 
His horses, of course, felt the effects of his bad temper, 
engendered by bad whiskey. This animal got to pulling, 
and finally ran away every time he attempted to drive 
her. As a proof of her sense, the gentleman's wife could 
drive her with perfect safety, which she did whenever she 
wanted to enjoy a di-ive on the banks of the clear lake 
which skirted their estate, taking her children with her, 
and feehng perfectly safe. When sold, she was only 



34 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

driven slowly on the road, as whenever started to speed, 
her pulling propensities returned in full force, and it 
took a strong arm to restrain her from running away. 
Again she went into the hands of a trainer of trotting 
horses. This man brought her home in a couple of 
months with a knee enlarged to twice its natural size ; 
her mouth torn to pieces with severe bits, and a jaded ap- 
pearance, as though she had been towing a canal boat the 
whole summer. 

I heard she was ofi'ered for sale at a low figure, and 
succeeded in pui'chasing her. I have " great expecta- 
tions" that, under your judicious directions, she will yet 
prove a good animal. I must own I am going to put 
your skill to a very severe test, as I have none but those 
who have been very badly handled, or young things that 
we can only surmise whether they will trot or not. To 
return to this mare's pecuHarities, her gait is the reverse 
of the brown horse's, square as a brick, with a long open 
stride. 

Peeceptoe. — I like the appearance of Madam Jane very 
well. She has evidently a fund of strength that can be 
made available for either good or evil. With proper 
teaching she would have been ignorant of exerting it to 
our prejudice. Now we will have to depend on gaining 
her affection, so that she will have the same confidence in 
us that she had in the lady who had the temerity to intrust 
her own and her children's lives to a horse that had ever 
run away. There is a subtle fluid, magnetism we will call 
it, between the horse and driver, the reins being the me- 
dium through which it is conveyed. How angry I be- 
come when I see a big brute tugging away for dear life at 
these leathern straps, his body braced as if a yoke of oxen 
were hitched to him to pull him from his seat, yelling at 
the top of his voice, self-satisfied that he is an expert. 
The horse has ten times more sense than he, and has 



PEOPER MAKNER OF DRIVING. 25 

learned that he must pull against the bit still harder, to 
stojD the circulation of the blood in the sensitive bars, 
numbing them till the torture is unheeded. After a while 
the deUcacy of feeling is gone, large calluses are formed, 
and the horse becomes perfectly useless. The knife is re- 
sorted to, the " bags" are cut out. A brief respite, while the 
ugly wounds are heahng ; then again to be tugged at and 
spoiled. The reins should be handled as if they were a jDart 
of the animal endowed with sensitiveness, which would be 
destroyed by a continuous pull. A slight motion of them 
shifting the bit has often a magical effect in rousing the 
horse, when whip and spur would fail. This mare must 
be driven as an accomplished reinswoman would drive 
her. Light must be the touch, and no continual exertion 
of strength should be permitted. Her running out, the past 
winter, has probably restored her mouth to its normal 
condition. I will contrive a way she can be exercised 
without danger of her running away, tiU she will no 
longer want to. 

I notice there is still an enlargement of the knee which 
must be reduced, or there will be more hkelihood of her 
hitting it. Her formation is such that she ought to trot 
without touching. Like grabbing the quarters, it may 
have resulted from defective shoeing or bad driving. 
When it arises from natiu-al action, it is one of the worst 
defects a trotter can have, and is generally caused by a 
wrong set in the elbows. We cannot change structural 
gi'owth, but we can modify the effects of it by a httle dif- 
ference in shoeing, making the outside of the shoe a trifle 
the heaviest, increasing or decreasing the whole weight 
of the shoe, cutting away part of the iron, and rasping 
the corresponding part of the hoof. I once cured an 
inveterate " knee knocker" by making him wear an in- 
strument similar to what hatters use to stretch their hats. 
This machine was confined between his fore legs and 



20 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

against his breast, by a strap running from the girth to 
collar. It was covered and j)added to prevent chafing, 
placed on him when he commenced walking, in the spring, 
every day or two, lengthening the screw which gradually 
increased the distance between his knees as he travelled. 
He was kept at walking exercise for a couple of months, 
when he was jogged with the instrument on, till he finally 
acquired a different " way of going," and never hit his 
knees again while I had him. There are as many differ- 
ent patterns of boots to obviate this, as there are trainers 
or harness makers, each of whom claims his own to be the 
best. 1 have a perfect museum of all the varieties, which 
I will show j^ou at some leisure time. 

Pupiii. — Here is a black thoroughbred. 

Preceptok. — " Not a word an' you love me," scholar. Let 
me look at him without a word or gesture to interrupt. 
We wiU now go to breakfast ; when we return I must 
again examine him. I want no clue to his quahties, pedi- 
gree, performances, till I have a good look. 

Pupil. — All right. I was afraid I was tiring you with 
my disquisitions. I feel decidedly Uke doing justice to 
the pattern breakfast we will get at this snug hostelrie. 
We are of right particular about providing the sweetest 
old hay, blades, oats, hominy, bran, carrots, &c., to keep 
our horses in good health, and should certainly be as care- 
ful of ourselves. 



CHAPTEE III. 

FEEDING — CAMP LIFE — "FALCON" — THE IDEAL OF A MODEb 
ROADSTER. 

Preceptor. — You were right that we would get an en- 
joyable breakfast. It is a favorite meal with me, as my 
general custom is to spend an hour or two in the open 
air before partaking of the matutinal entertainment. The 
weather has to be severe, indeed, that confines me in- 
doors, and I never need a morning cup to give me an 
appetite, which I always indulge by eating plenty of the 
bounties our mother Nature has so plenteously provided 
for us. It is a difficult task to get a horse in order that 
is a delicate feeder, and I am inclined to think that nine 
in ten which trouble us by mincing over their feed, re- 
fusing to eat more than a quart or so at a time, owe this 
bad habit to rearing. Many think when the colt is 
weaned it is able to take care of itself, turning it out in 
the barn yard to fight for every mouthful of hay it gets, 
with older colts and all of the horned cattle of the farm. 
It manages to Hve through the winter and that is all. 
When the spring comes, it is turned out as soon as the 
grass shows green. There is less sustenance in the short 
watery blades than even the straw possessed, which had 
been its principal food through the winter. The stomach 
loses its tone, and ever after is weak, not having the 
muscular strength to properly prepare the food in it, or 
gastric jnices sufficient to form the healthy chyle that 



28 HORSEPORTRAITURE. 

produces the blood. The stomaeh needs exercise to teep 
it healthy as much as the Umbs. Every one recognizes 
the fact that unless the gi-owing animal has an opportu- 
nity to work them they will shrink away, but think that 
by making- the colt "rough it" it will be hardier and more 
serviceable when its work is needed. However, the 
question of food will present itself as youi- horses are put 
in train, when we will discuss it in all its bearings. 

Pupil. — No doubt it will be as important as anything 
there is for me to learn. 

Here is a cigar, which I will vouch for as being one of 
the best. I had it in a present from a friend who delights in 
keeping the best specimens of the Virginia weed. From 
long habit I prefer the pipe. The same kind fi'iend al- 
ways keeps me supplied with the most fragrant killi- 
kinick, which he superintends the manufactui'e of him- 
self, selecting the very finest specimens of leaf, and is as 
scrupulously carefiil in the process of making and flavor- 
ing, as the old alchemists were in the preparation of the 
elixir of life. If he were still in business I would be 
tempted to give his address, so that all genial lovers of 
the tranquillizing herb would know where to get their 
supphes. 

My fondness for a pipe was acquired by hving in the 
woods through the summer. For many years I was en- 
gaged in sTirveying the mountainous section of Pennsyl- 
vania, where, twenty years ago, there were imbroken 
forests twenty miles in extent. For weeks we would 
never enter a house, but camp where night overtook us. 
The camping-gTound was generally selected by the side 
of a swift running brook or crystal spring. Oui* supper 
ended, of speckled trout or venison broiled on a sticl , 
with plenty of strong coffee that had a finer aroma than 
ever Turcoman drank on tapestried divan. The bed is 
made of the fine boiighs of the hemlock ; piled so high 



DELIGHTS OF TOBACCO. 29 

that there is a downy sensation as you sink in the ira- 
grant herbage. Now pull off your boots, Hght your pipe 
and enjoy it. The stars are twinkhng overhead, as if they 
had come nearer earth, looking hke diamonds amid the 
sombre branches of the white pine towering a hundred 
and fifty feet above you. The camp fires throw a lurid 
light on the rocky banks of the httle creek, whose waters 
are lulHng you with their gentle cadence, as they glide 
over a miniature Niagara. The laurel i^,nd creeping yew 
look like the ivy on some old ruined castle wall. Puff! 
The talk of Sydney Smith or Sheridan would be a bore. 
You see visions brighter, fairer, rosier, than ever did the 
inspired author of the Ancient Mariner, and you fall 
asleep in that pure air to dream of stiU brighter fanta- 
sies. No doubt that smoking injures many a young man 
confined all day to a close counting-room, spending his 
evenings at the billiard haU or club, but to one whose hfe 
is mostly out of door, with exercise enough to engender a 
weary feeling at night, the moderate use of tobacco is 
certainly beneficial. 

After carrying a knapsack containing thirty or forty 
pounds of provisions, a heavy compass, climbing hiUs, 
that rise with no gentle inclination, twelve or fifteen hun- 
dred feet above the rapid, rushing river at their base ; 
stopping at noon time only long enough to eat a cold 
bite ; forcing your way through laurel swamps and tama- 
rack thickets, impenetrable save to the skulking wolf and 
thick-coated bear, then the tobacco is a wonderful solace, 
and the best proof that it works no injury is the refreshed 
feehng you awake with next morning, conscious that 
there is no reasonable task you could not perform. 

I look back on those days with a satisfaction I can 
hardly express, and have' such a vivid recollection of 
every hill, intervale and stream, that without the help of 
compass, I could, after the lapse of twenty years, tr^ce a 



30 HOESE POETEAITURE. 

line run at that time, and find every corner erected or 
witness tree marked on thousands of acres. 

Preceptor. — Without being quite so enthusiastic in my 
devotion to tobacco as I find you are, I enjoy the per- 
fumed breath of such a cigar as this. Yoiu" friend, the 
donor, who cares so well that your pouch be well filled, 
has my hearty thanks. Yowc camp life I know something 
about. In my boyhood's days I was with a stable of race- 
horses ; at that time there were no raiboads forming a 
net work of iron all over the country, and we had to 
travel our horses from race-course to race-course, often 
long joui'neys of hundreds of miles. It was rare that we 
found proper accommodations to pass the night, so we were 
prepared, like surveyors, to stop where our convenience 
dictated, or when the horses were thought to have walked 
far enough. A pair of mules was harnessed to a big 
wagon, in which was loaded hay, corn blades, oats, corn, 
bran, meal for bread, bacon, groceries, a hand-mill to 
prepare hominy, with all the necessary appendages to a 
race stable ; we generally selected a pine forest to camp in, 
and the first business of us boys, was to gather the long 
pine leaves to form bedding for ourselves and horses. 
The ground would be thickly covered with them, so 
that it was no very long task. The cones were also plen- 
tiful, and of them we made fires, heating water to wash 
legs, whenever the trainer said hot water should be ap- 
plied. The horses cleaned, legs rubbed, we prepared our 
own supper, and much as the breakfast we have just 
eaten would merit praise, the recollection of the fried 
bacon, corn-bread, and coffee drunk out of tin cups, 
comes back to me as being relished as well as the delica- 
cies I am now most given to Hke. It was a much more 
arduous task for the trainer of that day to keep his horses 
all right than at pruscnt. A rainy night and we had no India 
rubber covers to keep out tlie moisture, but we used tliicl; 



THE MODEL EOADSTEE. 31 

cotton, like sail-cloth, whicli answered a very good pur- 
pose. Our horses were " worked " so hard that the deli- 
cate ones were soon got rid of ; though I think, with the 
improved handHng of the present day, many, rejected as 
wortliless, would have proved very difl'erent animals, and 
as often winners as those whose temper enabled them to 
stand the severe driUing which they got. My cigar is 
nearly ended, so we will bring this conversation to an 
end. I am anxious to have a good look at that black fel- 
low that so took my eye at first sight. 

Pupil. — Here we are back to the stable ; one of my 
rules is never to smoke in the stable, or suffer any one 
employed there to do so. Visitors, of course, have to be 
tolerated in the bad practice. Boy, bring out the Falcon. 

Pkeceptok. — All right, boy ; give him his head ; I want 
to look at him from a distance first. Turn him partly 
around. Now run alongside of him across the yard ; 
come a little faster as you approach me ; that will do. 

Well, scholar, I told you that sometime I would gi^'e 
you my idea of model roadster, and there stands nearer 
my ideal, than any I have yet seen. Before going into 
detail of his form, I will engage to make a trotter of him, 
no matter how much he has been abused in his training. 
I make this promise not only from the fine action he 
exhibited while trotting across the yard, but from that 
peculiar head, ear, and eye, that all show sense. Horses 
have just as many degrees of sense as men, and Daniel 
Webster's "dome of thought" never more palpably 
showed his superiority over the majority of mankind, 
than does this horse over his compeers. His head is 
large, yet you would not find enough meat on it to furn- 
ish a pet kitten with his supper. Look how the clearly 
cut nostril is just extended enough to discern the edge olf 
the pink lining. There is an India rubber look about it 
that shows the orifice can be enlarged so as to admit all 



32 HOESEPOKTRAITURE. 

the air necessary to feed the lungs. The jowl appears as 
if carved, widening till you can thrust your clenched 
hand easily between the sharp jawbones. There is a cor- 
responding widening of the forehead, giving plenty of 
room for a large brain, not alone the source of wisdom in 
a horse, but the centre of the nerve force, that wonderful 
something which we cannot explain, but which as surely 
enables the horse to do " great deeds of gTcat renown," 
and places him far above his kind, as it supplies the hero 
with tlie stimulus that renders him immortal. The clear 
hazel eye, lustrous as a gem, shows his sagacity ; and the 
long thin ears placed just as I would have them, are per- 
fection. How daintily the head is set on the neck ; you 
could span the neck if it were detached from the throttle, 
which so nearly fills up the space between the jaws. 
Were it not that the neck is so perfectly formed, it would 
appear too long, but the crest rises so beautifully that it 
requires the length to give it such a graceful curve, while 
the depth it displaj^s, where joined to the body, shows a 
>inion of strength and lightness, admirable in its just pro- 
portions. The breast has the rabbit formation, usually 
seen in the fixst-class race-horse. The shoulder blade 
ises well to the top of the wither, is broad, sloping, and 
falls back into the sway, just as it ought to, and the point 
of it is well thrown forward, so that the humerus or upper 
bone of the leg is oblique. The elbow is properly placed, 
neither tied in or standing away from the chest ; this is 
what brings the fore legs so truly under him. As you 
stand in front of them, they are as true as a hne, slightly 
converging to bring the feet squarely under the body, 
and the toes straight. The arm is long, the knee broad 
and strong, with the bony projection behind well devel- 
oped. The canon is short, the ligaments large, which 
gives the leg the flatness so much sought after. The fet- 
lock joint is roimd, as if turned in a lathe, while the 



DESCEIPTION OF "FALCOH." 33 

pastern is long, springy and oblique, so as to take the 
jar off the delicate bones below, without dropping enough 
to show any signs of weakness. There is no danger of 
ring bones or navicular disease in that formation. The 
feet are of a fair size, with good heels, and horn that will 
never shell if the nail is placed properly. There is a great 
deal of truth in the old adage, of " no foot, no horse : " 
these are not only naturally good, but I must congratu- 
late you on having kept them so by judicious care. 

This horse is very deep through the heart. When I 
first saw him I should not have judged him to be over fif- 
teen hands two inches at the outside. When you stand 
beside him, you are satisfied that sixteen hands is, if any- 
thing, below his measurement. The barrel swells out, 
giving a good length of ribs, which are wide and have the 
right curvature. The back and loin are remarkably strong. 
The arch in the back is so high that it does not look as 
well as if a little lower, but there is a mountain of strength 
there when connected with the broad loin, braced with 
fillets as thick as your arm. The hip is long with slope 
enough. Were it more level, it would give him a jauntier 
ah", but he would not be as hkely to trot so well. The 
stifles are low, and placed the requisite distance aj)art to 
play freely, without being interfered with by the abdomen. 
The hock is large and so clean that you can trace the ar- 
ticulation of the joint. The great width of the gaskin 
arises fi'om the bone, forming the point of the hock or 
oscalcis, being so long that the tendon comes up a long- 
way before it is covered by the muscles. What was said 
about the canon of the fore leg will be appropriate to de- 
scribe the hind, only the flatness is more apparent. The 
angles, from the hip to the foot, are just what they ought 
to be to work the propelling hind legs to the best advan- 
tage. His muscularity is just what I fancy, long, lean and 
dry ; they will come as near giving you an idea of perpe- 



34 HORSE POETRAITUKE. 

tual motion, as is ia the power of any animal to display. 
If lie was only a little fuller in the quarters, I beheve I 
would hke him a very little better, but as they are heavy 
enough, any thing more would give him a cloddy appear- 
ance, that would take away from his high quahty. His 
coat is another mark of his high breeding ; that and his 
hoofs would convince any discriminating observer, that his 
claim to blood was well founded. He is not properly 
black, but dark brown, with tan-colored flank and muzzle ; 
this I prefer to a horse that is all black. His tail is mag- 
nificent, " fit for a Pacha's standard," as Willis once re- 
marked of Lady Suftblk's, but fitter to ornament such an 
animal as we are looking at. Some would call him too 
short in the body, but I think, if measured, you would 
find it equal to his height — the best proportion in my 
opinion, to unite speed, bottom, and that compactness of 
form, so essential in a procreating animal, more especially 
the male parent. 

I have, in this cursory manner, run over the Falcon's 
chief points. Many, of course, would differ with me as to 
what conjunction of them forms the best horse ; but my 
experience has led me to think a horse for fast driving on 
the road and track, able to keep going, up hill and down, 
or repeat his heats all day, must approximate the form I 
have just sketched. 

Ptjpil. — You cannot conceive the pleasure you have 
given me, listening to the encomiums you have passed ou 
the animal that I love. Yes, love is none too strong a 
term to express my feelings for that horse. After family 
and friends, he has the next place ia my affections ; and 
in order that you may understand how they became so 
strong, I will have to acquaint you with part of our — at 
least, to ourselves — eventful history. 

His place of nativity was Central Ohio, a fine undulat- 
ing country, which for fine herbage nearly equals the blue 



"falcon's" experiences. 35 

grass region of Kentucky. His parentage is unexception- 
able ; liis sire being Camden, by Shark, his dam a 
daughter of the northern champion. Postboy, thought, un- 
til his defeat by John Bascombe, to be the best horse of 
his day. He grew up a fine colt, taking the premiums at 
the local fairs, until three years old, when he was taken 
West by a boy who had no more knowledge of condition, 
than if he had never seen a horse. He ran him all sorts 
of races, from a quarter dash to two mile heats. As a 
specimen of the usage he got, I will relate the following 
story, which I was assured was strictly true. The boy 
having got in debt, an attachment was served on the colt, 
and he was locked up by the Sheriff in a log stable, where 
he was confined for three weeks. There were some races 
at a Httle town not very far off, and his owner managed 
to get him the day before the two mile heat race was to 
be run. He traveled him to the neighborhood of the race- 
course, tying him to a tree ; during the night a violent 
thunderstorm gave him a thorough wetting. He had 
no rider, and in order to come as near the conventional 
scale as possible, rode him himself without a saddle ; still 
he had to carry a hundred and thirty pounds — a pretty 
severe weight for a four year old, that for preparation had 
been a strict prisoner for weeks. He made a very good 
race, and it was the opinion of most who saw it, that had 
he been judiciously ridden, he would have been the victor 
as it was. That fall, I saw him on the occidental side of 
the Father of Waters, and was as much struck with him at 
first sight as you, thinking him the best formed animal I 
ever saw. I had long been of the opinion that just such 
a thoroughbred was the kind to make a number one trot- 
ter ; but he had changed owners, and I did net succeed 
in getting him till the spring of another year. At that time 
I was engaged in land speculations, selecting government 
lands in Iowa and Missouri, and being successful in mak- 



36 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

ing good locations, that I could seU readily at a greatly 
advanced price, my fancy for horses was only indulged as 
a pleasant interlude to the excitement of the land gam- 
bling. When I bought him I placed him in the hands of 
a trainer, who was reported to be the best in that part of 
the country. It was no trouble to break him to harness. 
On the first trial he went round the track hitched to a 
sulkey, on a trot that was as easy as the flight of a swal- 
low. There was not much bending of the knee, and his 
action was so different from the spluttering little Black- 
hawks and Morgans — then all the rage in that section of 
the country — that the lookers-on ridiculed the idea of his 
ever making a fast trotter. I did not see him for several 
months, having been on an extended tour "land hunt- 
ing." That fall he trotted at a State Fair, in 3: 05 ; which 
was certainly as fast, for the time in training, as I ex- 
pected in my most sanguine moments, but no one else 
thought he would trot fast. 

In the winter, he ran in a loose box. When spring 
time came, and the prairie roads got dry and smooth, I 
commenced driving liim on them. He completely carried 
me away in a double sense. I thought I had owned and 
driven road horses very nearly as good as could be found, 
but I discovered he was so much superior to the best of 
them, that I took no pleasure in driving any other. 
Seventy miles a day was play to him, and he hterally re- 
quu*ed no driving; a word would restrain him when most 
anxious to go. He never saw anything to shy at, but 
went along as straight as a line. His excellencies were 
so manifold, that were I to recapitulate them, it would be 
tedious. Unluckily, I again let his former trainer have 
him. The first time he went on the track, he trotted 
easily two miles in six minutes. The same day I matched 
him against a Blackhawk stallion for a couple of thou- 
sands, p. p. The match made a great deal of talk and 



"falcon's" history. 37 

excitement in the country, and my man was so anxious to 
have him trot fast all at once, that he ventured to whijD 
him to increase his speed. This treatment his high spirit 
would not brook, and then began the contest between 
them, but the biped's arms was no match for the quadru- 
ped's strength of jaw, and when the day of the trot came 
he was utterly unable to hold him. I had not seen him 
from the day the race was made till the one prior to it. 
It was too late then, even to suggest anything, so he was 
di-iven in a long shanked curb-bit that had purchase 
enough to break the jaw of a mule. He was easily beaten. 
I cared not a straw for the money lost, but it was bitter 
to hear the remarks : — " I told you it wan't no use trying 
to make a trotter of a race-horse, they aint fit for nothing 
only to put a little boy on their backs and run over a 
smooth jjath," with hundreds still more ill-natured. I 
sent him home, and housed him again in his roomy box. 
Before the frost went out I started with him for Chicago. 
He was just as pleasant as ever, and I greatly enjoyed 
driving him the trip. Again I was unlucky in putting 
him in the hands of a man who did not understand the 
nervous organization of the descendant of a long line of 
illustrious ancestry. He hit him sharply with the whip 
when driving him down the road that foUows the shore 
of the beautiful lake, which the Falcon resented by run- 
ning away. The bit and reins were of no avail to stop 
him, but on he sped. The prairie was soon passed, and 
the driver thought of throwing himself out of the 
skeleton-wagon as they rushed through the timber. At last 
from sheer exhaustion he was forced to give up his pull, 
when a few soothing words was sufficient to stop him. 
The fright, however, deterred the man from getting behind 
the horse again, and the only exercise he got was from 
the son of the trainer riding him behind the wagon when 
his father was driving. I brought him home, thinking it 



38 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

was written in the book of fate, that the prophecies of 
those who were always ready with their " I told you so," 
were to be fulfilled. That season the great panic over- 
whelmed the West, leaving thousands, who had thought 
themselves well oflf, entirely pennOess ; it did not take 
long for me to reaUze that I was in that poor and desti- 
tute condition, for after seUing every farm and acre of 
land I possessed, I was still five thousand doUars behind 
hand. The house where I hved, and which cost me near- 
ly ten thousand dollars, one of my creditors took as a 
great favor to me at two thousand. I built a " shanty " 
OP some land belonging to a friend of mine, moving thereon 
m} family, this horse, and two of his colts. The land 
was entirely unimproved, but was beautifully situated, 
and laid so that very little expense built a good training 
track. To attempt training horses with the httle knowl- 
edge I had of it, was, to say the least, rather presumji- 
tuous ; but I had nothing else to do, and if my favorilo 
ever made a mark on the trotting turf, this was his only 
chance for even a poor education in that useful branch of 
equine accomplishments. He kept me in good cheer by 
improving so raj)idly under my teachings, that those who 
had denied his having the least chance to make a fast 
one, now acknowledged the possibility of his becoming 
such. 

I trotted him a ten mile race which he won easily. The 
stake money he had earned by his services in the stud 
before he left home, so I was doubly his debtor. The 
following season he had more business than he could do 
from March till September ; still after three weeks' pre- 
paration I trotted him a race of heats of five miles. The 
first he lost by half a lengih in 14:21 ; and lost it entirely 
from bad driving on my j)art, for in place of letting him 
go along as he wanted, I pulled him back, which irritated 
him so that he worked unkindly the whole of the heat, 



"falcon's" peefoemances. 39 

The second he won in 14:33, and the third his antagonist 
gave out, dead beat on the thirteenth mile, but the slowest 
he could be made to go the last mile was 3 :20, making 
the heat in 15:11. At the conclusion of the race it was a 
difficult job for two men to hold him till he was unhar- 
nessed from the sulky, not the least distress or even leg 
weariness being perceivable. The next day I started 
home with him ; he bowled along the smooth road in 
such high spirits, that it appeared as if he was elated at 
the victory he had won, and was determined that no one 
should think he had anything but an easy task, by hiding 
the soreness he certainly must feel. 

Never having seen him exhibit any signs of fatigue, I 
thought I would give him a trial, and for this purpose 
kept him to work a couple of weeks longer. I then drove 
him fifteen miles in 44:05, and on pulHng him up, not a 
leg trembled, or even a long inspiration betokened the 
least distress. I then concluded to trot him twenty miles 
in an hour, which I am positive would be an easy task for 
him to perform, but have now changed my mind, and 
hope to see him doing his mile " low down in the twen- 
ties," which I fondly think him capable of, from the 
bursts of speed he has often surprised me Avith. I shall 
ask as the greatest favor you can do me, that in lieu of 
telling me how to drive, you will chaperon him yourself ; 
I know he will please you when once acquainted. As you 
remarked about the magnetic fluid traveling from driver 
to horse, this fellow shows it more than any I ever dealt 
with. If I got into the wagon ill-natured, he was sure to 
be cross too. At other times, on a fine morning like this, 
on arriving at the top of a hill, he would stop without 
any admonition from me ; I know he enjoys beautiful 
scenery as well as I do. I have known him stop on a 
bluff overlooking the Mississippi — his eye would follow 



40 HORSE PORTEAITURE. 

tlie course of the river for a while, but would finally rest 
where water, prairie and timber formed a harmonious 
pictiure that would have dehghted an artist. There was 
no mistaking the look, or the nod of satisfaction he in- 
variably gave, as he sprang off in the brisk trot to make 
amends for the lost time. I told you that next to family 
and friends I thought more of him than aught else. It 
may be foolish, weak and wicked, thus to speak of an ani- 
mal, rating him above, and holding a place in my affec- 
tions before many created in the image of the Great Archi- 
tect ; yet when I recount what he has done for me, you, 
at least, will understand the feehngs that prompt me. 
From penury and a dark prospect, with a helpless family 
depending on me as their only means of support, he 
has raised me to comparative affluence. From a load 
of debt that would have bound me as with a three-fold 
cord in durance, that the results of even successful 
labor would have been unable for a long series of yeara 
to Hghten, he has freed me. For a pleasant home, where 
the birds sing in the grand old oaks, where the bee sips 
the honey from the sweet scented cheiTy and the flower- 
ing fragrant crab-apple ; where the sun shines so brightly 
in the windows of a morning, and gilds with refulgent 
glory the opposite bluffs in the evening ; where the placid 
river runs so silently to the sea, with wooded islands on 
its bosom, that look like floating fairy gardens ; where 
colts are gamboling in the green fields, where peace, con- 
tentment and happiness dwell — for all this I am indebted 
to him. Would it add to his happiness never to have a 
saddle or harness on his back, he should never wear the 
bonds of servitude again ; but active life is what he enjoys. 
No matter how large a box you confine him in, he frets 
like the prisoner of Chillon, and would soon wear even a 
stone floor in his uneasiness. He must acquire more than 



"fa look's" posteeitt. 41 

a local celebrity, and leave his posterity a record that will 
compare with the best, so that others shall know his great 
excellence as well as myself. This is what I have marked 
for him to do. For this I have studied, and for this I 
have come to perfect myself in the art, of which you axe 
conceded a master. 



OHAPTEE IV. 

I'BACHENG TO TROT — BOLTERS — WINTERING HORSES — BREEDING 
FARMS, ETC. 

Preceptor — I can well appreciate the feeling you have 
for that horse, and in place of considering it mawkish 
sentimentality, honor you for your gratitude to him, who 
has done so much to retrieve your bad fortune. 

You are also worthy of credit for the pertinacity with 
which you stuck to him, determined that he should make 
a trotter. Patience is everything in our profession. Weeks, 
months, even years are necessary to make the most pro- 
mising proficient in this partly acquired gait. The swift 
gallop of the race-horse is greatly improved by training. 
Perhaps if they were run without any weight on them, 
nature would be the only teacher they would require, but 
the action that is necessary to carry the weight easily is 
the result of practice. The swiftest natm-al trot any ani- 
mal ever possessed is slow, indeed, compared with the 
speed exhibited by Dexter or Lady Thorne. If these two 
"Topsawyers" had never been subjected to a thorough 
training, their great speed would never have been known. 
In fact, they might have passed their lives without either 
being credited as even good travelers, by being placed in 
f* position that would have rendered fast traveling un- 
necessary. 

When a particular family of horses have become cele- 
brated for great trotting powers, almost every colt belong- 



RACE COLTS IN TRAIN. 43 

ing to it is placed in a position to stow whether ihey 
have this family characteristic. Men pay long prices for 
Hambletonian, Membrino or Pilot colts that have never 
felt the weight of harness, because many of their relations 
have proved fast, and they are generally well repaid for 
their investment by subjecting them to long and skillful 
training. My predilections for the thorough-bred may 
have arisen from sleeping with them when a boy. My 
heart would nearly break when one of our stable was 
beaten, or burst with joy when any were victorious. 
These remembrances may bias my judgment, but I have 
often thought that, were the race colts placed in train as 
trotters, we would see as many of them first class per- 
formers as any of the strains I have just mentioned. 
Both the Hambletonians and Membrinos had their origin 
in the purest streams of the turf blood. 

The admixture of Bellfounder, and other coarse strains, 
cannot have given them any additional qualities for rapid 
locomotion at a trotting gait, while, if the little black 
pacing pony, Pilot, had been confined to mares of his 
own degree, we would never have seen one fit for a 
butcher's cart or baker's wagon. But this is a subject we 
must take some rainy afternoon to discuss in all its rami- 
fications, as it is one of great weight to you, expecting to 
breed as well as train trotters. 

Pupil. — You again please me exceedingly, as I am 
well convinced that the better bred the trotter is, the 
more likely he is to perform great feats, and argue it so 
much that I am considered a monomaniac on that subject. 
There is no part of the business I am so taken up with as 
breeding and rearing the colts. The interest never flagB 
with me for a moment, from the time the young thing 
first gleefully capers round his mother till it is old enough 
to attract the attention of a purchaser ; even then the 
feeling of affection will follow, and I will rejoice in 



44 HOESE POKTRAITURE. 

its well doings as much as if still the owner. I have only 
one more aged animal to show you, and he is a grandson 
of the little French pacer you were just speaking of, being 
by Pilot, Jr., his dam a well bred mare. These four speci- 
mens of bad management, will be, a sufficient test of 
your skill in teaching, and my aptitude in learning, as they 
have been as unfortunate in their early tutorage as gen- 
erally falls to the lot of their species. With the young 
things we will at least have a clean page to commence on, 
which will be much pleasanter than if we had to use 
pumice stone and India rubber, before we could make a 
mark. 

This grey horse we call Clipper, and he was considered 
as promising a colt as his sire ever got. His dam had 
produced a trotter thart had gone exceedingly well, tinder 
the circumstances, and much was expected from the scion 
of a horse that boasted of Native American, John Mor- 
gan, Bull Run, and plenty of other good ones. 

In his three year old form he gave further proof of his 
possessing the virtues of his line, by winning a three year 
old stake in a country where young trotters are as plenti- 
ful as blackberries in their season. ^Tien four years old, 
his trainer, a black fellow, owned by this horse's breeder, 
gave him an unmerciful flagellation, which knocked aU 
the trot out of him. He took such a hatred to the track, 
that he could not be driven round it, and additional 
threshings confirmed him in this disHke, so that he had 
to be thrown up. 

He was pui'chased afterwards by a gentleman, for his 
services in breeding, and when not in this employment, 
he drove him on the road. This gentleman, who had a 
strong desire to improve the stock of the section in 
which he lived, had spent a great deal of time and money 
to effect that object. 

He first got a stallion, with a pedigree and form as good 



THE STALIIOK CLIPPER. 45 

as could be found ; and in order also to serve those wlio 
wanted a trotting strain to breed from, he selected Clipper. 
The blood Chpper drew from the veins of his dam and 
half-bred sire, gave him quite a share of that which would 
be so great an advantage to the cold blood mares, about 
the only kind kept in that region. The owner endured the 
irritation consequent on owning two public stallions for 
several seasons, thinking that when the progeny began to 
display their good quahties, it would stop the abuse that 
was so plentifully heaped on his pets, but it increased. 
Fifty good colts would be passed without a word of com- 
mendation, while a medium or poor one would be held up 
as a specimen of the horse's breeding. 

He became utterly disgusted at the stock not being 
appreciated, made a present of the thoroughbred to a 
friend, and selling the Clipper for what we both thought 
was but a quarter of his value. He is as gentle as a horse 
can be on the road, a child driving him Avithout the least 
danger, but on the track is quite a different animal. A 
sharp tone or flourish of the whip and away he goes for 
the fence. At times he will trot fast, but on making a 
break, will rush for the same place or jump frantically in 
the air, expecting a repetition of the beatings he has not 
yet forgotten. You will also perceive that he is as much 
out of condition as a horse can well be; every leg swollen; 
in the right hind foot a bad case of thrush, with a bowed 
sinew on the near fore leg that looks Hke the premonitory 
symptoms of a break down; this, however, was occasioned 
by a blow, so that it may not be as dangerous as it ap- 
pears. 

Preceptor. — Had I not my eye fuU of the Falcon's 
faultless symmetry of form, I would have greatly admired 
the proportions of this one, though he shows but very 
little signs of his grand sire the " Canuck ;" another proof 
of the superiority of racing blood. The five-eighths or 



46 HOESE PORTRAITURE. 

three-quarters flowing in tliis horse's veins has completely 
obliterated the outward appearance of the remaining frac- 
tional part, and were this horse bred to fine mares, in all 
probabihty his colts would be still farther from showing 
it in acts and appearance. Were I to open a breeding 
farm for the purpose of rearing trotters, expecting to seU 
my colts at an early age, I would not object to mixing a 
good deal of French blood with the purer stream. In 
my opinion the colts would come to their trotting gait 
earlier. They would bend the knee with less teaching. 
We have an exemplification of that in the young trotters 
Bruno and Brunette. That they would eventually prove 
as good horses, I have no idea. 

As to the case in hand, — -this fellow's bolting, — it is one 
of the most dangerous tricks a horse can have, and I 
would not knowingly become the owner of one that had 
acquired it. Your request for me to drive the Falcon I 
would gTant with the greatest of pleasure, as I would 
take delight in driving him, but in order that you, as 
well as your horses, may be acquiring useful information, 
it will be necessary for you to do the tooling yourself. 
Should there be no nerves of sense in your arms, teUing 
you when to pull and when to ease away, I will give up 
the task ere the commencement of teaching you to drive. 
That you do possess this quality I have no doubt, as 
without it, you never could have met with the success 
you have already attained. Had you asked me to drive 
this boltei% I should have emphatically answered no, on 
my own account, and can only say that you vdll be lucky 
if you do not get hurt. The best advice I can give, is, 
that when you see he is determined to bolt, in Heu of 
trying to keep him on the track, pull him directly for the 
fence. If he keeps on he had better hit it with his head 
than the wheel. I have cured horses of shying with a 
contrivance that may possibly be of some benefit to him, 



CUREFOEBOLTING. 47 

though I will have no faith in it till tried. For the blind 
or winker of the bridle have a sheet of Russia iron cut a 
little larger than the ordinary sized bhnd, and perfora- 
ted with numerous small holes. The philosophy of the 
thing is that the horse sees so many bug-a-boos that he is 
confused, and results much the same as driving him in 
the crowded streets of a city, where so much strikes the 
eye that he has no time to be afraid of what is on one 
side, for the many objects on the other are just as fearful, 
compelUng him to go straight along. This may multiply 
the fences to the Clipper, so that unless he takes a fancy 
for a steeple chase he may remain on the track. He wiU 
naturally associate the whip and bolting together, so we 
will discard it when di'iving him for a Vt'hile. His going 
so frantically in the air, is from having his mouth so torn 
to pieces, and jerked when in a break. By letting him 
run till he will regain his trot of himself, or at least by a 
little motion of the bit pulling his head a little on one 
side, or a shght shake similar to what you would use to 
hook a trout, will in due course of time teach him a better 
system of breaking. It is true this will increase the dan- 
ger should he bolt, the run being speedier than the trot. 
In the velocity of a moving body impinged on a heavy sta- 
tionary one, and brought to quiescent state, everything 
movable will have acquired the momentum of the moving 
body, and will go till arrested by the laws of gravitation, 
or brought up with a round turn, coming down a purler, 
as our English friend would say, or a sockdolager, as we 
would. He will not be Hkely, however, to leave the track 
running along at his ease, with the di'iver talking to him 
as he ought to. Should you pull and frighten him, the 
choking sensation would be an additional inducement for 
him to leave. His condition is certainly very bad, and it 
will be some time ere he can be put to work with the bal- 
ance. I never believe in giving a well horse medicine, as I 



48 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

think all that is claimed to be gained by a coiu'se of physic, 
can be got at safer to the animal and easier to ourselves, 
than by balling and drencliing ; but in the case some 
aperient or alterative will be required. Your horses are 
just in the order I would like to have them to commence 
work, fat, but not overloaded with flesh. They show 
they have been well wintered, getting their rations of hay, 
corn and oats as regularly as the hour came for them to 
have it. The idea of starving or freezing out horses has 
long been exploded with me, and must have originated in 
some one who was so confoundedly mean that he grudged 
the horses the grain that was necessary for them to retain 
their stamina. My idea of wintering a trotter is to turn 
him iu a large, roomy box, first having prepared him 
by taking off the clothes he has been wearing, putting 
lighter ones on, removing them so that he may get a 
good thick coating of hair that will protect him better 
than the artificial application of blankets ; his shoes 
pulled off of course. Adjoining this box let there be a 
yard well Uttered with straw, and every day, that is not 
too stormy, give him the run of the yard for several 
hours. Have the best of timothy cut when the seed is 
just forming, or rather when the bloom is entkely off ; 
well cured, but not exposed to the sun and air till half of 
its nutritious qualities have been wasted. Have a large 
manger, in which the horse can turn this hay over, se- 
lecting the part of it that suits him best ; but if good and 
properly cured all will be eaten. This manger should 
take up the whole end of the box, high enough that in 
rolling there will be no danger of getting in it ; built per- 
pendicularly, so that if inclined to paw while eating, the 
knee will not hit it as would be the case were it sloping 
from him. On one end of this manger set a porcelain hned 
feed trough, or in heu of that a common cast iron kettle 
that will hold two or three pails full. Give him, at regu- 



WIN"TERINQ A TROTTER. 49 

lar intervals, three feeds a day of good oats, every other 
day substitviting a few ears of sound old corn — the dent 
varieties are the best — the amount will depend on the 
size or fat forming quahties ; but from six to eight quarts 
of oats daily, or its equivalent in other feed, will generally 
be found sufficient. The quantity of hay to be unhmited, 
so that the stomach will be filled, restoring the muscular 
power in that organ, which may have been impaired in 
the preparation for sweats and races the preceding sum- 
mer. Once or twice a week give a bran mash, and place 
a box containing salt within reach. Through the winter 
change his feed by giving cut feed, carrots, wheat, rye, 
barley, meal, etc., and as the spring comes on, a little oil 
meal, flax, or sunflower seeds, will assist in shedding the 
old coat, and producing a soft, shmj new one to take its 
place. He should be watered three times a day. The 
litter in his box shaken up, and all the soiled portions 
thrown out once a day. No gTooming will be needed ; if 
plenty of clean straw is kept in his yard and box he will 
not require it, and for this much of the year, at least, he 
will be exempt from the torture — to a thin-skinned horse — 
of currycomb and brush. In the temperature of this box 
I know of no better rule to observe than that, after proper 
precautions have been taken for thorough ventilation, it 
may be made so close as to exclude the outer air. If this 
is done by building a hollow brick wall or a wooden one, 
the aim will be reached. I have seen stables built of logs 
that were as good, and horses wintered in them as well, as 
when thousands of dollars had been lavished to rear a 
structure that has all the appliances of modern times to 
make its inmates comfortable. I do not mean, by this re- 
mark, to be understood that I find fault with the taste 
displayed by our wealthy men in building fine bams and 
stables. They are not only a great ornament to a fine 
villa or city residence, but they are so comfortable for the 



50 HOKSE POETRAITUBE. 

horse, and so handy for those who have them in charge, 
that to one who had been accustomed to the best half a 
century ago, the change would be marvellous. For a 
country place or farm there is nothing that adds more 
of a home look than good outbuildings, and I would have 
the horse barn not too far distant fi'om the house. In 
fact, I would have it so near that let the weather be as 
rough as it might, there would be no dread of going from 
one to the other. It should be a prominent feature in the 
picture, made up of the dwelling, lawn, orchard and pad- 
docks, where the matrons of the stud and their offspring- 
are sunning themselves. If not naturally protected, I 
would shelter it with belts of trees, evergreen and decidu- 
ous. To sum up, I would have it look as if its inmates 
were just as well taken care of as those in the more 
pretentious dwelhng, and where horses, like the Falcon, 
would have their eye for the beautiful gratified whenever 
they looked out of the box window. For a training stable, 
there wovild have to be a change of site and arrangements 
that would differ, but the training quarters we will also 
discuss some other time. 

Pupil. — You would have every one who kept a horse 
provide him with a comfortable home, and it is surprising 
that men of sufficient means are found who restrict their 
horses to a place unfit to confine a hog. Plenty of farm- 
ers, " out West," still crib them in a pen made of poles 
and straw, which answered the purpose very well when 
first erected, and while the family was contented and 
comfortable in the shanty or log cabin ; but large gaps 
have been made in the fragile material, where the cutting 
prairie winds blow through, seemingly more biting than 
where the snow drifted over the fence, and the cattle were 
cowering beneath the blast. 

These men have owed all thek wealth and comforts to the 
faithful servants that brought them fi-om their old home, 



NEGLECT OF HORSES. 51 

wtere tlae soil was rocky and sterile, to that where it is as 
rich and fruitful as the valley of the NUe. They toiled at 
the breaking plow, late and early, to convert the flowery 
prairie into fields that were overladen with all the pro- 
ducts the most provident farmer could desire ; hauled the 
rails that protected these crops from devastation ; reaped 
the grain, harvested, thrashed ; in fact, thanks to the in- 
ventive genius of the country, did all the heavy work of 
the farm, and after that was accomplished, joined in the 
owner's pleasures, carrying him where he listed. 

The excitement of the wolf chase could not have been 
enjoyed had they refused to follow the wily denizen of the 
grove aud bluff over the rolling prairie, never making a 
mistake in the treacherous gopher holes, and knowing 
just where it was safe to cross the slough that trembles 
under their light feet. 

For all these services rendered, they are requited by 
having to stand the cold night with no protection, while 
the owner has replaced the cabin with the good two story 
brick or frame, protected from every breath of cold air. 
"Would that I had the power to make them change places. 
The burly farmer should shiver for a while tiU he ac- 
knowledged his indebtedness, and finally repaid it by 
making his horse as comfortable as his now ample 
means would render easy of accomphshment. 

You almost frighten me from the determination to 
make this bolter forget his dangerous trick, but as 
there never was a steeple-chase rider that did not get a 
"purler" or "sockdolager," before he attained the re- 
quisite knowledge, so I will even brave the chance of 
being impinged on some heavy, ponderous object that 
will receive me at the risk of compound fractures, 
liberal contusions, and seeing stars generally. I cor- 
dially agree with you relative to the wintering, and have 



52 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

followed the plan you hafve advised, as far as my means 
would permit. 

I cannot coincide in your opinion of even making the 
most money by the early sales of colts having the admix- 
ture of French blood, to make them learn their trotting 
lessons easier. If I were able to breed in the manner I 
would like, to secure the right location for the farm would, 
of course, be the first thing. I would look a long while 
before I made the selection, as it would have to combine 
qualities that are not found on every farm. Supposing 
it to lie north of the forty-first or second parallel of lati- 
tude, it would have to be in a sheltered situation, where 
no rough wind should have a long sweep. The soil should 
be rich, so that there would be a good growth of herbage, 
and suitable for the production of all kinds of graia. 
Without drawing on my fancy, I will describe a jjlace I 
have often thought the very best I ever saw for a horse 
breeding estabhshment. It consists of six hundred and 
forty acres, being a square, each of its boundary lines a 
mile. Along its eastern boundary is a road that for 
several miles is perfectly straight, nearly level, and quite 
sandy. About half way there is another road running in 
a westerly direction, by the buildings, which are located 
very near in the centre of the whole tract. The eastern 
half of the section is very nearly level, yet undulating 
enough to cause perfect drainage. On this portion is 
found almost every variety of western land — that along 
the road having a mixture of sand ; and as you go back, 
there is gravelly loam, heavy alluvium, clayey loam, all 
rich, mellow, and friable as an ash heap. This part was 
originally prairie, lying on the second bottom of the 
Mississippi Eiver. The western part of the section runs 
part way up the bluff, which is crescent-shaped, and of a 
gentle inchnation, rising about two hundred feet higher 
than the bottom. This bluff does not present a continu- 



WHITE-OAK WOODLANDS. 63 

ous line, but is divided into several bills by ravines, tbat 
gradually widen as they approach the bottom, till on the 
skirts of the timber they are two or three hundred yards 
in width. The hills are covered with a heavy growth of 
timber, principally grand old white oaks, that interlace 
their branches overhead, while their trunks are such a 
distance apart as to suggest the idea of their having 
been planted by some skilled landscape gardener, centu- 
ries ago. This idea is strengthened by the grouping of 
the trees, which, in every case, are best arranged to suit 
the inequahties of the ground. As you approach the edge 
of the ravine, shrubbery takes the place of the large 
trees, making an appropriate border for these emerald 
bays so beautifully carpeted with the thick growing blue 
grass. These woodlands are very different from the cele- 
brated wooded blue grass pastures of Kentucky, and 
much as I have admired them at Woodburn, Ashland, 
and scores of other places in that favored region of the 
horse-paradise, still, to my eye, there is more beauty in 
these I am trying to describe. The Kentucky trees show 
that they have been a dense growth, and were forced to 
grow long boles that their tops might not be overshadowed 
by their high companions. The cutting away of part of 
this growth has made the lack of branches more apparent. 
Here the annual fires killed all the undergrowth, leav- 
ing those that were large enough not to be injured by the 
burning grass at a sufficient distance apart to develop their 
full beauty. Trees of two or three feet in diameter would 
scarcely rise twenty feet before they threw out lateral 
branches approximating to the size of the parent stem. 

What a crown of grandeur some of these old white and 
burr oaks possess, and to my mind the white oak is, j^o?' 
excellence, the king of trees. I have a distinct recollection 
(though it is a long while ago since I saw them) of some 
of the woods and pai^ks of the " old countrie." "When a 



54 HORSE POETRAITTJRE. 

boy I bird-nested and gathered hazel nuts in Craigieburn 
"Wood, " where sweet faa's the eve ;" guddled for trouts 
in the waters, and pou'd gowans on the banks, of the Even 
and Annan, rendered classical by the sweet lyrics my 
countrymen have written in their praise ; wandered with 
awe around some of the old ruined castles whose thick 
walls and grated windows told tales of the old feudal 
times, and which needed not the funereal yew and dismal 
fir to make as ghostly as one could wish ; admired the well- 
kept parks, with the trees of centuries' growth springing 
from the verdant sod. Your remark that the English- 
man's boast was of the most beautiful women, finest 
horses, and grandest old trees is true, since Scotland was 
joined by act of Parliament to the richer country. The 
finest horses, even a Scotchman will admit, they always 
possessed, but the bonnie lasses and grand trees would 
never be allowed. No one acquainted with the hterature 
of the two countries, will deny that the Scot has been 
more felicitous in his description of female beauty, which 
can only be accounted for by his more frequently seeing 
it ; but I have got away from the breeding farm and di- 
gressed merely to compare the trees on it with those of 
Kentucky and England, superior to the first and quite 
equaling the finest specimens in the Enghsh parks. The 
site for the house is about midway, in elevation, between 
the river and top of the bluff, on the summit of one of 
the smaller hills. To the east and soiith nothing ob- 
structs the view, and a grand one it is. The southward 
curve of the bluft^ forming an arc of a great circle, en- 
closes several thousand acres between it and the river. 
\Vhere it meets the water, it ends in an almost perpen- 
dicular wall of yellow hmestone, broken into deep fissures, 
where scrubby red cedars and creeping vines are the only 
verdure that can grow. On the summit of the precipice are 
gnarled oaks, throwing their branches in fantastic shapes 



SITUATION OF A MODEL FARM. 55 

athwart tlie sky. Away to the southeast and beyond the 
river, are blue, hazy looking hUls, an undulating outline 
losing itself in the far off horizon. Directly opposite the 
house is a heavily wooded island. Above the dense foh- 
age of the trees another rocky barrier rears its frowning 
bulk in broken crags, hundreds of feet above the water. 
This precipice is on the opposite side of the river, the 
course of which can be seen for miles from the door of 
the house. The plateau lying between it and the shelter- 
ing bluff is spread out, like a map, before you. On the 
farthest extremity is a neat Kttle village. Between that 
and the obsei'ver are several cultivated farms, the biiild- 
ings and fences adding greatly to the comfortable appear- 
ance of the whole. A steamboat is gliding along over the 
tranquil waters, and from another village on the eastern 
shore, a long train of cars is winding its way round the 
foot of the rocky bluff. A large spring breaks from the 
most northern ravine, and is running through the pasture 
like a thread of silver. From your seat, in front of the 
house, you can see where a mile course could be made 
that a cat would be visible on every "jump" he would 
make. You fancy now that you can see the embryotio 
trotters taking their preliminary lessons, and in another 
field to the right, but just as much under your eye, some 
of their kindred are more gracefully galloping. I am 
now presuming that I am rich enough to keep race 
horses, as I would advise every man of moderate means, 
whose fancy for the horse requires gratification, to stick 
to the trotters. He will make money out of them if even 
unsuccessful in breeding top sawyers, the different grades 
finding ready sales and remunerating prices in the large 
towns and cities, while the training expenses of the young 
race horse are three-fold of his more useful but less 
showy relative, the young trotter. I quite agree with 
John Randolph, that two tolerable things are intolerable, 



56 HOESEPOETEAITURE. 

a tolerable egg and a tolerable race horse. I have now 
found a suitable farm, but the most important thing is 
yet to be sought, the stock that is to render all available ; 
and here I would probably differ from ninety-nine in a 
hundred who have given the subject much study. For a 
stallion (leaving all predilections or favoritism for an in- 
dividual animal that would cause me to select the Falcon 
as a model), I would hunt up a thoroughbred of good 
size, say fifteen and a half to sixteen hands, possessing 
the requisite bone, or rather, tendon and muscle. Most 
all horses in my opmion have bone enough — a good many 
of them too much. His pedigree I would be just as fas- 
tidious about as if I wanted to breed race horses, and 
would not be suited without it contained several crosses 
of Messenger and Sir Archy. There may be other fami- 
lies that will prove just as successful, but these have been 
tried. I know of two imported stallions that will un- 
doubtedly be celebrated yet as the progenitors of trot- 
ters. 

To go back thirty years for an illustration. A colt 
from Ariel, by Henry, would suit me exactly as to blood. 
For instance, Ariel, by Eclipse, dam by Financier, g dam 
by Baronet, g g dam by Messenger ; Echpse, by Duroc, 
dam by Messenger ; Financier, by Tippo Saib, dam by 
Messenger ; Tippo Saib, by Messenger. This might ap- 
pear as if too closely inbred to produce a good animal, 
but her performances — the best campaigner of her day — 
shows that it was not the case with her ; and by scrutini- 
zing this pedigTee we will find that with all these near 
crosses she was only about a quarter Messenger, but un- 
doubtedly the preponderance of that blood over any 
other, enabled her to display its most valuable character- 
istics, and I have no doubt, that had she been taught to 
trot, she would have exhibited the wonderful feats since 
shown by the more remote members of this family. 



SELECTION OF STALLION AND MARES. 57 

Henry, the celebrated antagonist of Eclipse, was the sire 
of the dam American Star, that got Goshen Maid, Bolly 
Lewis, and a great many other good ones renowned in the 
stud as well as the trotting course. 

Post Boy, a son of the hero of 7:37, left many fine road- 
sters through Ohio and Michigan, ending his career in 
Dixon, Illinois, where he died in 186'3, thirty years old, 
the last of his get a very promising trotting filly. I would 
prefer the stallion a bay or brown. My choice would be 
that rich, rosewood brown, a color often seen in the colts 
of imported Sovereign. It would be an additional in- 
ducement for me to buy him if he had been tried, and his 
eolts were found to color after himself, and it would be 
absolutely essential that he had good trotting action — 
the faster the better. 

For mares I would like to get good sized, roomy ani- 
mals, with all the important points good ; strong consti- 
tutions and docile in their temper. I would not care if 
they had less quality than the stallion, but would much 
prefer one that had been a mother, proving herself a good 
milker, to one that looked a Httle better, but not known 
to possess this great desideratum for the well-doing of 
the colt. Their blood would suit me best to resemble 
that of the stallion, by having the remote crosses similar, 
with an admixture of Trustee or Boston, both of whose 
descendants I have seen trot fast. They should also have 
the clear trotting step that a majority of thoroughbred 
mares surely possess. I do not think the objection often 
urged against breeding from near affinities, is sustained 
by proof from the record — quite to the contrary, as was 
exhibited by Ariel. Many of the best animals on the turf 
have been thus bred. I would not advise incestuous 
crosses, though even that is less to be dreaded than many 
think. Virginia Taylor and Virginia Lafayette by Sir 
Archy, dam Coquette by Sir Archy, were both good 



58 HORSE POETKAITURE. 

mares, the best their dam ever bred from any other 
horse. FHrtilla, Jr., bred in the same way, was not as 
fleet an animal as her dam, but a better brood mare, 
producing Cassandra, one of the best of the noted Priam's 
get in this country. I think that to establish any point 
of excellence in a family, not usual to their race, but prom- 
inent in them, this system is far more certain than any 
other that can be pursued. 'Twas thus that Collins, Bake- 
well and Webb built up almost a distinct race of short 
horns, Leicesters and Southdowns, and though we want 
our horses famous for something else than early maturity, 
large size and capacity to take on fat, the soundness of 
constitution necessary, ere they can possess these quah- 
ties, will hkewise tend to the forming of muscle and 
adaptability for rapid locomotion. 

These mares I would also select of a uniform color, 
which should be the same as that of the horse, having an 
eye to the progeny resembling each other, which would 
enhance their value both as trotters or carriage horses. 
Pairs are now much sought after, by those who delight in 
going fast on the road, and to one who can aiford the 
added expense is certainly much more pleasant than driv- 
ing one, if they are lucky enough to get together those 
alike in size, speed and action. 

Having now got my stock, I would prepare the place 
by fencing those sheltered ravines into small sized fields 
or paddocks, in each enclosure placing a shed, tightly 
roofed and closely boarded on three sides. This would be 
for the accommodation of the mare, and foal soon after it 
was dropped, and where I would keep them till the foal was 
old enough to wean. In this shed should be two feeding 
boxes or troughs, the one that the mare eats from large, 
but so low that her colt could also reach it, so that the 
little fellow would learn from his mother to nibble at the 
oats, and when the teeth got through the gums, eat his 



BEARINGCOLTS. 59 

share from the smaller trough placed where the mare 
could not get at it. They should have two feeds a day of 
about three quarts each feed, not quite so much as that till 
after the mare was stinted again. When the colt is about 
five months old, say the first of November, I would wean 
him ; first having broken him to the halter so that he 
would be as handj to lead as an old horse. The middle 
of August I would have one of the smaller fields of 
corn seeded to rye between the rows. Through one cor- 
ner of the field runs the spring branch, its bed clean 
gravel and sand that has been placed there, so there shall 
be no mud for our little heroes to stand in as they quench 
their thirst. On the side near the house is a long shed 
with a trough, where the twenty colts we are now wean- 
ing, will have plenty of room to eat their ration of oats 
without interfering with each other. In this field we turn 
them, placing those foaled the earliest in first ; but as a 
general rule, no matter about the age, it is best to com- 
mence weaning as soon as the first of November, before 
the succulence of the young lye has been injured by frost. 
The colts will improve in condition on that and the 
oats that are fed in the shed, and will also nibble at the 
ears of corn not yet gathered from the stalk. They will 
soon become reconciled to the loss of the mother by the 
company of each other, and it will be far better than any 
circus show to see them play, or come rushing through 
the corn-stalks, when you call them to the evening meal, 
always given by yourself or under your immediate super- 
vision. 

Here we will let them stay, till the weather becomes 
cold enough to require their being placed in warmer quar- 
ters at night and on stormy days. On the sunny side of 
the barn we have built a large shed ; on the west side is 
a stone-wall which is banked up for half its height ; the 
south side is boarded, and the east fixed with sliding 



60 HOKSE PORTRAITURE. 

doors, SO that in case of very cold weather it can be closed 
entirely. Sliding partitions are also prepared to divide 
the shed into five compartments. The shed is Httered 
deeply with straw. Overhead we have storage room for 
hay, corn-stalks and straw, and contiguous to the south 
side is a room for corn, oats, meal, bran, &c., with a root- 
cellar in the high bank. The hay is clover and timothy, 
the clover cut while the flowers are in full bloom, and the 
timothy cut a week earher than one would cut it for 
horses that are in train. The clover has been cured so 
that its fragrance is that of a fine morning, no blackness 
or mould, but a deep green ; an armful of it thrown to 
the hogs is as greedily eaten as if it had just been cut. In 
the root cellar are carrots, with a few other vegetables, 
such as cabbages and sugar beets. The commissary is 
well suppHed, and are near enough the head of the 
spring, so that we carry it in a pipe to the yard without 
danger of freezing. 

These young things must be fed as regularly as the 
movement of a Jules Jurgesen watch, varying their feed 
whenever their appetite craves a change. But I must 
beg youi" pardon for taking up this subject, which you had 
tabooed till a rainy evening ; but once on the subject of 
breeding and I do not know when to stop. I must pray 
of you to put an end to my loquacity when it becomes 
tiresome. I am not so conceited as to think that all of 
my plannings and dreamings will be conceded to, or even 
interest you, though I have had some experience in breed- 
ing on a small scale, and have visited some of the large 
breeding estabhshments of the country, but never yet 
have seen one that suited me in all particulars. 

Peeceptoe. — Well, my scholar and partly teacher, I 
have become gTeatly interested in your ideal farm, and 
will be much pleased to hear you continue it, till the colts 
have got to an age when they will be fit to go to sharp 



COUKTRY REPOSE AND FRIEKDS. 61 

work. I have no doubt yoiir knowledge of breeding is 
much superior to mine, as I never raised a colt in my 
life, and though nearly a score of years your senior, pre- 
sume that your country life has given you facilities for 
observation, tenfold greater than could be enjoyed by one 
spending his days on a track near this great metropohs, 
which throws its shadow over what should be country, and 
requires quite a journey ere one can feel that he is entirely 
free from city air. It has been a cherished idea with me, 
that the time would come when I should own a farm, 
where I could retire in the evening of life solaced with 
the quiet joys a dweller in the country has to be contented 
with, but I have been too long acquiring the means that 
would enable me to fix myself satisfactorily. For a man of 
my age to form new habits, acquire new friends, change my 
whole manner of Ufe, I am of opinion it is too late. It is 
true, my lifelong companions, the horses, could be re- 
tained, but ardent as I am in my affections for them, I 
could not be in the stable all the while. Had I a family, 
the case would be different. A wife to share my joys and 
griefs, to solace me in one and make the other doubly en- 
joyable, with children to watch over and establish, then 
any place would be cheerful ; but, as with the farm, I 
waited too long, till the time for connubial felicity had 
also passed. 

From my connection with horses I have made friends 
that honor me by their friendship ; men of strict in- 
tegrity, who never think of a mean deed much less of 
doing one, whose fondness for the sports of the turf can 
not be destroyed by the rascality of those who would 
be rascals the same in any position of life they might be 
placed, and who bring the manly sport in so much dis- 
credit, that it takes a good deal of nerve in those men 
placed high in social position, the fruits of large means 
and well directed talent, to acknowledge their connection 



62 HOESEPORTEAITUEE. 

witli it. I have scores of these friends to love and ad- 
mu-e, and whose friendship will cheer me through hfe, if 
unfortunate enough to have neither home nor family to 
gild its declining years. I am sorry you have located 
your breeding farm so near the setting sun as even the 
west bank of the Mississippi. It will be too far to go to 
see the results of your making trotters of thoroughbreds, 
and I am afraid ere you send the first installment to 
market my heats wiU be ended, and, gently as the ancient 
scythe-bearer has always treated me, he will undoubtedly 
leave me behind the distance pole at last, though I shall 
make a game struggle, and hope the closing event will 
bring no discredit on the many honorable contests that 
have preceded it. 

Pupil.— The Falcon ? 

Peeceptoe. — Yes, I know that the Falcon which I have 
been so foolish as to let you know how much I like, 
is thrown in my face as sufficient proof that the colts from 
your twenty-five mares will all, or at least a majority of 
them, trot fast. " One swallow does not make a summer," 
nor will one thoroughbred estabHsh the claims of the 
whole race to trotting speed. 

Pupil. — Did you not admit a short time ago, that if 
blood horses were trained as the trotting famiUes are, 
they would excel them in their own branch of going. 

Peeceptoe. — I did say if race colts were placed in the 
same thorough training as Membrinos, Hambletonians 
and Pilots, there would be as many trotters among them 
as among the colder blooded ones, but I did not want 
you to infer that in a breeding estabhshment to rear 
trotters, I would discard those families that had shown 
their adaptation for that gait. It would be well enough 
for some of our rich men to attempt the proof, who could 
pocket the loss, if it should prove such. In fact, I told 
you that I would have French mares, so that the colts 



DANGER OF EXPERIMENTS. 63 

would not need as mucli practice to acquire tlie necessary 
knee action, which every fast trotter must have. You dis- 
sented from the opinion, but as yet have not shown that 
I was wrong in the premises. 

Pupil. — I had not come to that yet ; I had only carried 
my colts along, till they were weaned and prepared for 
the winter, passing over a great deal I meant to say, in 
order to get to that point, but found that to make my 
plan intelligible, it was necessary to go partially in detail 
to be understood, and — 

Pkegeptoe. — All right, I was finding no fault with your 
description. As I think you weaned your eolts, and 
started them into winter quarters in a very thorough 
manner, and will warrant that if dealt with in ihe same 
way tiU four years old, you will have the right kind of 
animals whether they trot or not. Nor do I find fault 
with your taking time to describe the scenery surround- 
ing your farm. Were the best farm in the world iso- 
lated from others, with no beautiful surroundings, it 
would be no dweUing place for me. The blood you 
woTild select would also meet my approbation. The only 
trouble is in confining yourseK to an experiment, which 
would be all proper in a man with abundant means, 
where failure would not result in pecuniary embarrass- 
ment, the worst of all loads to bear, excepting personal 
dishonor. After dinner I will be much pleased to hear a 
continuation of your expei'imental farm. In the mean- 
time, we must not neglect the commencement of our 
duties to these animals that are to be put in active 
training. You say they have had a good deal of walk be- 
fore you left home, so that they will only need sufficient 
to recover them fi*om the long journey on the cars. To- 
morrow, we will go to the shop, and see that they are 
shod in a proper manner. With the exception of the 
Falcon, they all want a change in their shoes, to gniard 



64 HOKSE PORTKAITURE. 

against hitting somewhere, as I see the bolter has had 
some pretty severe hits on the shin, only now shown by 
white marks across the dark grey of his leg ; but, as it 
will be sometime before he is ready, even to jog, there 
will be no hurry with him. As for the young things, 
when you finish your pipe, and I one or two of these 
cigars, we will look them over. 



CHAPTEE V. 

OBNAMENTAli PIiANTING — OTJT-BUILDINGS — ^BROOD MABES AITO 
STAliLIONS — WESTERN PRAIRIES. 

Preceptor. — ^You have been so fortunate in your choice 
of a stopping place, that I am afraid, while enjoying 
its comforts, we will be tempted to place too much 
importance on the good breakfasts and dinners pro- 
vided for us, and grumble over their absence ; making 
every one uncomfortable who has anything to do with 
providing or preparing our provender. The grumbler 
can make himself more disagreeable to those who are 
unlucky enough to be brought into contact with him, than 
any other species of " the miserables" attendant on this 
life. I have known some unmitigated types of this class, 
but, on making their acquaintance and finding this to be 
their true character, have got out of their way and kept 
out, not caring for any benefit that might accrue from 
their friendship, so much overbalanced by having to listen 
to their fault-finding diatribes. But if you will favor me 
with another of those finely flavored cigars, I will not 
bore you at present with grumblers, or the mischief they 
do ; and shall Hsten with pleasure to the continuation ot 

the history of Farm, Your Scotch prochvities 

ought to have led you to have named it before the first 
paddock was built or the first furrow turned. 

Pupil. — And a very good plan the Scotch have of 
naming every farm, no matter how humble. How much 
better to refer to a place as Burn-braes, Heathery 



66 HOKSE POETRAITUEE. 

Haugh, Rosebank, Hall-dykes, than Smitli's farm, Joneses 
place, &c., the only way we have of distinguishing the most 
beautiful places in the country. Should a person name a 
little farm which he looks at with more fondness and pride 
than does the owner of "the estate of several thousand 
acres, his aesthetic taste is laughed at, and he is ridiculed 
by men who have not many ideas above those of an Es- 
quimaux, so far as the beautiful is concerned. I will 
continue my ideal history of the breeding. The place is 
no fiction, and I have admired it a thousand times, always 
considering it the best natural farm I ever saw. The 
present house, situated on the grandly wooded eminence, 
is a large, massive stone building, with no pretensions to 
taste. However, the arrangement and size of the rooms 
are such as to be comfortable for the sheltering of a good 
many people. It is in the form of an L, but unfortu- 
nately the angle is on the back side towards the wood. 
It is placed so near the eastern slope of the hill that all 
those magnificent trees are in the rear, excepting some 
of the finest that flank it on the north, forming a second 
screen as an additional protection from the north wind, 
which is more effectually shut out by the bluff making an 
abrupt bend to the east, running in that direction very 
nearly to the eastern boundary. A few straggling black 
locusts are the only trees in front, and the fine slope is 
bare of everything save garden vegetables and current 
bushes. The road is at the foot and winds round it, so 
that to an observer, familiar with Western road-making, 
it looks like a private one, all the others he has traveled 
following the section lines over hill and dale. The sum- 
mer has not alone been occupied by watching, feeding 
find weaning colts, planting crops, and so on. The bare 
walls have been hidden by a wide verandah on both the 
eastern and southern sides. The roof has been carried 
over it so that it projects two or three feet beyond the 



THE FABM HOUSE AND GEOUNDS. 67 

pillars supporting the structure. On the second floor it 
forms a commodious balcony, and the small windows have 
been enlarged and cut down to the level of the floor, so 
that when the window is open you step at once on to the 
balcony. The color of the yellow limestone walls is in har- 
mony with the scenery and the prairie rose, ivy, honey- 
suckle and woodbine that are just beginning to chmb up 
their supports will hide the wood work, resembling the 
natural festoons that drape the distant rocky bluffs. The 
slope has been planted with rare specimens of trees and 
shrubs. The sombre hues of the cedar and hemlock, are 
relieved by the brighter green of the Norway spruce, its 
branches hanging in graceful curves from the ground to 
the summit. These young trees have been planted in 
groups, which when better grown will be in keeping with 
the natural growth, forming a foreground to the picture 
— a wide contrast to the massive oaks in the background, 
yet appropriate, as there is no glaring incongruity to of- 
fend the cultivated taste. There is no formal, stiffly laid 
out flower garden, nor even beds in geometrical figures, 
but patches of flowers spring up where least expected, 
greeting you with their bright colors and sweet fragrance. 
There are a few pots in which are growing those that 
need the protection of the conservatory in the winter, 
which has been added to the house on the west side, part 
of the wall having been removed so that there is a com- 
munication with it from the library and hving room. 
Ornamental vases are distributed about the grounds, not 
placed there to be admired for their beauty of design and 
richness of sculpture alone, but every one further deco- 
rated with some plant that gratifies the eye with its unique 
appearance, or shrouding the pedestal with a mass of foli- 
age and flowers drooping from the rim. That old stump, 
from which the tree has been barbarously cut, has been 
formed into a sun-dial. We do not expect to time our 



68 HOKSE PORTEAITURE. 

colts witli it, but it has a useful duty to perform in giving 
us the true time, by which we can regulate our watches, 
and see that they do not mislead us in the division of our 
time or the speed of the colts, when they have become so 
fast that a fraction of a second is of importance. The 
source of the spring being higher than the house, we have 
conveyed it there in pipes, giving a plentiful amount of 
pure water. From its abundance, we supply the fountain 
in the green-room. The fruit and kitchen garden has 
been removed to the rear of the conservatory. The barn 
is back of this, and a httle further east ; approaching the 
house from which we conveniently reach it under cover 
of the wood and carriage houses. The sunny yard for 
the colts is not the only one, there being several separated 
by close board fences, the boxes of the brood mares open- 
ing iato them, and one is for the use of the cattle, the 
gazelle-eyed Alderneys predominating. 

Beyond the yards there is an opening in the heavy 
timber, of several acres, which had been planted to fruit 
trees ; but the rabbits reveled there, and it was never re- 
planted till the present season. They are growing finely, 
and have been protected from future attacks by a wire 
fence, the meshes so closely interwoven, that the rabbits wiU 
be compelled to satisfy their taste for bark with the hazels 
and sumachs outside. Now that we have noticed the im- 
provements to beautify and make comfortable our home, 
we wall take up the colts started into the winter, as you 
admit, under favorable auspices. The routine of the win- 
ter season has been explained, and assuming there has 
been no deviation from the time they got their meals or 
were tiu'ned out for exercise, you may have found it 
necessary to divide them into four or five lots, some of 
them being so timid, that the bolder ones drove them 
away from then." feed, and generally showed an arbitrary 
temper to those who would give way. With all ou»" care, 



MAEES WITH FOAL. 69 

some of them may have got lousy, infested with parasites 
that will attack, though rarely, the well fed, well cared-for 
animal. Those that are found in this situation, are placed 
by themselves. Many object to the use of mercurial oint- 
ment ; I have never found any danger in its use or any- 
thing so effectual to remove them. Rub it along the roots 
of the mane, and down the back, being careful you do not 
put it, where in biting themselves, they would be likely 
to get it. Keep them dry and warm, and a very few days 
will be sufficient to rid them from these pests, that would 
soon reduce them to a skeleton if not attended to. 

The twenty-five mares — twenty of them being again 
with foal — require much the same treatment as the colts, 
though it is advisable that they should not acquire too much 
fat. Each one has a box stall for herself, with nothing but 
a manger and feeding box, and this placed so there wUl 
be no danger of the mare injuring herseK when rolling. 
The water is also conducted through the yards, so that 
aU may drink at their pleasure. Their feed is i;he clover 
and timothy hay, with com fodder to increase the secre- 
tion of milk when they have foaled. Bran mashes we 
would not give, but plenty of carrots and occasional feeds 
of wheaf^ which I have known the use of to prevent mares 
from slipping their foals that had always done so before 
they were thus fed. They should have their feed with 
the same regularity as the colts, the amount of grain 
regulated by their condition. Some will need nearly 
double as much as others, but in no case should enough 
be given them to accumulate much inside fat, which will 
surely be detrimental to the foal. We have noted exactly 
the time of being served ; but as there is a wide differ- 
ence in the period of gestation of not only different ani- 
mals, but of the same in different years, it is only a partial 
guide, and there is no rule known any way near infalhble. 
Some mares will secrete a great deal of the lactic fluid, 

4 



70" HORSE PORTRAITURE, 

and days befoi'e they foal the milk will drop from their 
udder. Others foal before the secretion takes place. By 
close observation it is noticed that the depression in the 
hip is more apparent just before foaling ; this, and the 
uneasiness of the mare, will be the best tests to rely upon. 
They should be very carefully watched, but if their box is 
roomy enough, and the mare is healthy and sound, there 
is very little danger attending parturition. As in every- 
thing pertaining to horses, we will find a great dissimilarity 
between the mothers ; some it is almost dangerous to ap- 
proach, their affection for their offspring being so great 
that they are in an agony of fear whenever they perceive 
any one coming near. Others will not pay any attention 
to them, while there are stiU others that will not let the 
foal suck unless compelled ; and I have known a twitch on 
the nose requisite before they would succumb. Here is 
one that, though willing enough, has not a drop of milk 
to furnish. The Alderney is now our dependence. We 
take some of the rich milk, dilute it with water, add a 
little sugar, — and a very little patience will teach the part- 
orphan to drink. 

One of Clipper's colts the past summer lost his mother, 
when ten days old, by falling through a bridge. His 
owner brought him up on cow's milk, and I never saw a 
better grown, better developed four months' colt in my 
life. He went the round of the fairs, and at every one 
took the first premium in his class. He could be led on 
a steamboat or raikoad car with no more dif&culty than 
a pet dog, and he exhibited more sense in every position 
than any one would have believed an equine baby could 
possibly show. He had a bountiful supply, and his ca- 
pacity for drinking was as deep, though his potations 
were milder than the famous Knight of the "Whistle. 
After drinking a bucketful he would neigh for more. 

Our stalhon, the descendant of aristocratic parents, has 



THESTALLION. 71 

hardly been treated with the consideration he deserves ; 
but he has been as well cared for as any other part of the 
stock. We found him in a southern clime, where he had 
figured as a good second-rate performer on the turf, run- 
ning long distances better than short, and from his size, 
able to carry his appropriate weight in a satisfactory 
manner. He possesses most of the attributes we were 
looking for, and only fails in minor points that were not 
considered essential. In selecting the mares, I was very 
particular they should be such as were Hkely to " nick " 
well with his form. The blood, as we said before, in some 
of them, being rather closely allied, one or two being half- 
cousins and all very similar in their remote crosses. He 
was eight years old when bought, and though very kind 
under saddle, he had never been harnessed. When he 
was brought here, and after having been walked a few 
weeks, part of the harness was put on while in the stable, 
adding it by degi-ees till breeching, traces and collar were 
all famihar to him. The reins were put on, and he was 
accustomed to a check, tightened by degrees till he could 
not get his head below a certain position, not high enough 
to be a constraint that would annoy him. He was driven 
every day for a week with the harness dangling about, 
and for which he never exhibited any signs of fear. He 
was then placed in the shafts, and went as quietly as if 
that had been the place to which he was always accus- 
tomed. I took the precaution to have a kicking-strap 
put on, though the security was needless so far as he was 
concerned. Every day the roads were not too muddy he 
was driven for an hour or two, and whenever a smooth 
part of the road was found, he was trotted as fast as he 
could go. Under this system, the fine trotting step he 
exhibited has increased so much that I am confident he 
Can trot a mile close to three minutes, and expect before 
the close of the next season to see him go still faster in 



72 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

proportion, as the track will be made and the exercise he 
will get there will be more likely to benefit his speed than 
all work on the road. 

I find I am talking just as if this farm and stock were 
no longer an imaginary one, and until I made the pause, 
was so much carried away describing it, that it was as 
vivid as if real. 

Pkeceptoe. — There must be some magical properties in 
this cigar, akin to the wonderful eastern plant that made 
captive the senses of those who inhaled it. I have been 
completely transported to the land of plenty where your 
colts are froUcking. That gi'and country has been opened 
since my active days have passed, or rather its capabihties 
were not understood tiU a comparatively recent period. 
I always associate the Mississippi with the bark canoe of 
the Indian, and the prairie as a marshy plain almost lim- 
itless, where tail grass and flowers conceal the rattle- 
snake and venomous Massassagua, with the buffaloes, in 
countless myriads, roaming over a waste reeking with 
malaria that totally imfitted it for the abode of civilized 
man. Of course, these crude ideas may be far from the 
truth, but I find it difficult to replace them with others, 
and cannot but think you might more advantageously 
have located it nearer some of the great horse marts of 
the country. 

Pupil. — Those' prairies that are to you flat, marshy 
grounds unfit for anything save reptile life, are one of 
the gi-andest sights God has vouchsafed to us poor mis- 
erable sinners. But you will have to go still further west 
than the right shore of the mighty river, to see them in 
their glory at this late day. Man has spoiled their beauty 
in one sense, in cutting them up into farms, and disfigur- 
ing them with fences and plowed fields. 

Fancy yourself on an eminence overlooking mUes of 
waving biUowy verdure. Near you the deep green of the 



THE WESTEEN PKAIEIES. 73 

gi'ass is relieved by flowers of brilliant hue, scattered 
over the wild expanse. Streams are glistening in the 
sunlight, their banks fringed vnth elms, the drooping, 
spray-like branches resting on the willow tops, that seem 
to be springing from the crystal flood. 

" The mild waves bathe the woods, the woods the wave o'ershade." 
You can mark their course for miles by the green bor- 
dering. The distant outline of the hills looks like a dream 
of land when in mid-ocean. A herd of deer are quietly 
grazing, apparently so near, from the clearness of the air, 
that you mark every line in their gracefiil forms. A soli- 
tary bald eagle is wheeling in circles over your head. 

The few fleecy clouds that are sailing along so majesti- 
cally before the western breeze, throw deep shadows that 
chase each other adown the slope and across the valleys. 
You are lost in the immensity of space, the earth ap- 
pearing as boundless as the sky. 

But you have not seen haK the beauties of the prairie, 
unless so fortunate as to behold a sunset ; and to fully 
appreciate this you must be alone. 

When looking for land on the waters that empty into 
the Missouri, I frequently got so far from habitations that 
I was obhged to spend the night on the prairie. My horse 
shackled and turned out to graze, I have sat and watched 
the sun as it lit up the western horizon in a blaze of glory. 
Sometimes large masses of cloud would lie in huge frag- 
ments, their edges at first only gilded, when, as the sun 
sank, the dense foreground became gi-adually lighted up, 
till the whole was of such a gorgeous hue that the eye 
was pained looking dii'ectly at it. The reflected light, 
mellowed as it fell, gave the whole prairie the semblance 
of being no longer of earth, but happy hunting grounds 
lit up by the shadow of God. 

In this dreamy, golden air, things could be seen nearly 
as distinct as in the blaze of noon-tide, only everything 



% HORSE PORTRAIT UK E. 

would have a weird-like appearance. The groves would 
seem no longer dark-green masses of foliage, but floating 
in the distance, as if the topaz-colored clouds had 
descended from heaven and were resting on a sea of 
amber, into which emptied rivers of molton gold. 

I will not tire you with my dreamings on the praii'ie, 
but give you some solid reasons for preferring the rich 
soil of Iowa to that of any other Northern State, as a 
place to breed fine trotting horses. 

The surface of Iowa is generally rolling, in some places 
it might be termed hilly, which not only insures proper 
drainage, but the difference of level permitting the sub- 
terraneous reservoii-s to break out in springs, — the most 
convenient way of obtaining a supply of pure water. A 
rolling surface is also better for the production of the 
finer varieties of grasses, which hardly ever grow on 
an extended level. These are not the only advantages. 
Horses bred on the fens of Lincolnshire, and other coun- 
tries similar to them, have large flat feet with thin horn, 
their bones are porous, and the carcass too heavy for 
the legs. The dry soil gives the reverse — well-shaped 
feet, with the horn smooth, tough and elastic, the bones 
dense as ivory, and the muscles, aU being called in ser- 
vice running up and down the hills, well developed. 

Though nearly aU the very fast horses eventually find 
their way to New York, there are other markets where 
remunerative prices are given for those of every grade. 

Chicago is conveniently reached, — that wonderful place 
that has grown upon the marshy shore of the lake so 
rapidly, that men now living, of middle age, have hunted 
wolves and shot ducks where now stately edifices reach 
for miles. The marble walls of the magnificent Opera- 
house enclose ground where, forty years ago, the fringed 
alder sheltered the nest of the aquatic fowl. Chicago, 
however, will merit more attention than can be given 



WESTERN CITIES. 75 

now. When we get our horses ready, I must insist on 
your accompanying me to the races at that place, where I 
will insure you a hearty welcome from, the hosts of ad- 
mirers the fast horse has there ; when you will "see 
sights " that no city on the face of the globe can equal. 

The river that almost washes the eastern hne of the 
stud farm, furnishes the easiest and safest method of 
transporting horses, and it does not require a map 
to remember the grand towns lying along its shores. 
St. Louis, the "King City" of the West, with its miles 
of levee and hundreds of steamboats ; Memphis, New Or- 
leans, &c., &c. But as aU these places have been marked 
to be visited during the fall and winter campaign, I will 
say nothing at present about them ; and as our stipulated 
nooning is now ended, I am anxious to show you the ju- 
venile division now awaiting your scrutiny at the barn. 

Pkeceptok. — I shall certainly take great pleasure in 
making the trip you contemplate, if your horses turn 
out good enough to travel with. All my ideas are asso- 
ciated with the Atlantic seaboard, and it will be a novelty 
to see the portion you extol so highly; and though I can see 
nothing that will overbalance the benefits easily obtained 
here, will look with a favorable eye on the country where 
you have located your home. I remember, many years 
ago, falling in with an old sallow-faced woman who had 
just retui-ned from the West. She summed up a not very 
flattering description of the country with the remark, 
that " it was an amazin' fine country for men and dogs, 
but an onkimmon hard one for wimmin and horses." 



CHAPTEE VI. 

THE COLTS — TRAINING TEACKS — ABOtTT HORSES BREAKINGI — 
PEDIGREE AND DESCRIPTION OF KING. 

PcpHi. — Boys, bring out tlie colts. "We will have tliein 
all out at once where you can take a general view ; and 
without wishing to appear egotistical in praising my own 
stock, must say they are of better appearance than a ma- 
jority of trotters. They are all half bred, and some of 
them have as pui'e a pedigree, if not as fashionable, as 
either Asteroid or Kentucky. This one may have seen 
too many summers to be fairly termed a colt. In fact, 
the question of "can a filly have a foal?" once pro- 
pounded by "a young turfman," can be settled in her 
case, as she was a mother before shedding all of her milk- 
teeth. This circumstance prevented her being b-ained, 
and with the exception of a Httle work when three years 
old, she is not much better acquainted with how to handle 
herself in a trot than the others, several years younger. 

As I previously remarked, I will be obliged if you will 
assist me in naming the neophytes, though I have done 
so usually on the spiu' of the moment, not expecting they 
would always wear their titles. But as with the young aspi- 
rants in chivalry, the names would answer liU they had 
shown by their devoira that they were worthy the fitting 
ornaments of golden spurs and a distinctive name. On a 
beautiful morning the first of May, I found this mare stand- 
ing by her mother. The bright natal morning suggested a 
name of itself, and May-Flower, Queen of the May, May- 



THECOLT,MAT. 77 

Queen, May-Day, all presented themselves. The last was 
finally settled on, abbreviated to simply May. She was 
the first of the Falcon's get, and I had awaited with a 
great deal of anxiety to see how his first-born would ap- 
pear. She was a crooked, big-jointed foal, with the head 
and eye of a gazelle, and I need not add, pleased me, 
though many called her too long in the pasterns, and a 
homely, ill-shaped brute every way. 

Peeceptoe. — This is truly a very fine lot of colts, and 
I do not wonder you take pride in showing them. Had I 
not been better informed, I would have taken them for a 
stable of stake colts, and would have expected to see the 
paraphernalia of racing hung up in their stalls. No one 
would ever have thought from the appearance of this 
mare that she had performed the fond and pleasing du- 
ties of maternity. 

She certainly is no discredit to her sire, though she 
falls greatly below him in perfection of form. Her fore- 
hand is superb, but the loin lacks in strength, her ragged 
hips making it look worse than it really is. The worst 
fault I see is her hind legs below the hock : they are a 
trifle cut away, and have not the set that quite pleases 
me. They are a little too crooked, and too much after 
the pattern called "cow hocked." The hock itself is 
good, which also can be said of the canon, pastern and 
foot. 

I shall be agreeably disappointed if we do not need the 
protection of boots on these crooked shanks. As to her 
name, " handsome is as handsome does," and we will let 
her keep her appropriate title till we think her worthy of 
a better. The name itself is good enough, and I would 
not suggest a change had it not been given to several be- 
fore her day. 

PuprL. — You came very near the truth, thinking this 
animal would need some protection. In the little I have 



78 HORSE PORTEAITURE. 

driven her she has troubled me by cutting between the 
hoof and pastern joint. I ascribed it to breaking on a 
half-mile that had four rather sharp quarter-circles for 
turns. When going round these she would sidle against 
the near shaft, trotting as you frequently see a dog, plac- 
ing the off hind foot between the fore-legs, being more 
inclined to do it when not at full speed. I have tried a 
variety of boots, but none seemed effectual. I am con- 
vinced the sharp turns were the cause, as I drove her for 
a time on the road when she never brushed a hair. 

This one next her is also by the Falcon, her dam by a 
Morgan horse, her grand-dam an Ohio mare with some 
pretensions to breeding. You will not be able to discern 
any of the Morgan taint in her appearance, the purer 
stream having quite obHterated the mongrel. She skims 
over the ground so easily, and with so little apparent 
effort that I have named her Hirondelle. Delle is her 
stable-appellation. She is very highly strung, but docile 
as a pet dog. 

The only trouble she has occasioned me is her anxiety 
to overdo herself. When asked to trot fast she will rush at 
it as if she were emulating Flora Temple in her electric 
flights of speed ; of course, not having the same control 
of her hmbs, the brush is only a short distance, when she 
goes with the same determination into a run, and a 
person not acquainted with her would be sure she was 
going to run away. A strong pull will keep her from 
breaking for a little while, but I was so fearful of getting 
more of these torments that I never would pull against 
her, hoping that time would correct the bad habit. 

PhECEPTOE. — This httle brown is certainly a beauty, and 
a rare feather in the plume of Falcon. Her form is al- 
most as faultless as his, although so widely different. The 
name is very good, though if I had owned her, she should 
have been called Fenella, after the sprite who was so airy 



PKIVATE TRAININ'G TRACKS. 79 

in her movements. You liave acted judiciously in not 
tugging at her, as with her resolution she would have 
been desperate in her efforts to get rid of the torture of 
the bit. We will " bide our time " with her, and my word 
for it, she will well repay for the probation. 

There is no doubt but the short turns of the half-mile 
track had a good deal to do in teaching May the pro- 
voking dog movement you speak of. These half-mile 
courses are the bane of many a good trotter, and unfit as 
they are for a horse that has acquired his gait, they are 
still worse to teach a colt that, as yet, does not know how 
to handle his feet. In making private training tracks, 
there is not much necessity for paying great attention to 
grading. So that the surface is smooth, the undulations 
may be beneficial, and the work that is generally put in a 
half-mile track would make one double the length. Neither 
is there any need of emulating the courses where many 
horses are expected to start in a race ; and if a man we^-e 
to offer to build me one for nothing, I would restrict it l;o 
a width so that there would only be room for two horstjs 
to trot abreast. The advantage of a narrow track is that 
you are compelled to teach your horses to recover from a 
break without being swung over a width of forty feet. 
This capacity for catching the trot without deviating from 
a straight line, is of vital importance in a race, giving im- 
mense advantage over a horse accustomed to be snatched 
and yawed all over the track. On almost every farm fit 
for breeding purposes, there is ground sufficient to get a 
mile, provided the maker is not afraid of going up and 
down moderate elevations and depressions. It is imma- 
terial about the distance being exactly the mile, and 
should be governed by and adapted to the configura- 
tion of the ground. The best for.m is to have the sides 
straight and parallel, connected by a semi-circle at the 
ends ; the curve as easy as can be got, the outside raised 



80 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

a good deal the highest. The soil that would suit me 
best for a training track would be a sandy loam, free 
from stones and gravel. 

Pupil. — Wait till you visit the glorious West, when I 
will show you the soil, of all others, best adapted for a 
track. I will defer my description of it till we come to 
making the track on the place where I am turning the 
thorough-bred into trotters. The slight antipathy you 
have to the experiment, I hope will be done away with 
as yoLi become better acquainted with these colts and 
their performances before the summer is ended. This 
fiUy is by Endorser, dam by Boston. She ran very cred- 
itably when two years old, and has now just been broken 
to harness. She shows a trotting step that is a good deal 
Uke the one described in the old Enghsh song : 

" Come, I ride as good a trotting horse as any in the town, 
Trot you sixteen miles within the hour, I'll lay you fifty pounds. 
He gathers up his knees so smart, and tucks his haimches in," &c. 

She is as handsome as Delle, and has the advantage of 
being a color that is much more showy. It is rare in- 
deed, common as chestnut horses are, to find one of this 
bright golden color that looks Hke sun-painting, the gor- 
g'eous day-beams absorbed and reflected from the silken 
hair. The two white hind legs, and the broad stripe run- 
ning so truly down the face, relieve and make the brilliant 
color still more to be admired. 

Before leaving home I was showing her to a fi-iend, 
who takes great dehght in driving the finest and fastest 
trotters, — and, by the way, is the one who gave me the 
cigars you pronounce so good, — remarking to him what 
he would consider her worth if she could trot in " thirty." 
His answer was, if he owned her, and she could trot in 
that time, or a little faster, there was no man in the United 
States rich enough to buy her. He had often argnied with 
me on the uselessness of the race horse, but he had lo 



FALCOlf'S COLTS. 81 

admit that, for beauty of form and the high quaHty ex- 
hibited by this filly, it was needless to look for them in 
any other family. My asking your aid in naming these 
colts you will think like an invitation to dinner the day 
after the event, all of them being already known by some 
title, yet as they have never figured in record or story, I 
wUl be glad to change them, should you obHge me by 
offering anything fitter. I call her Mavourneen. 

Preceptoe. — A very appropriate and significant name 
for this young beauty — a type of equine harmony, as you 
truly remarked, only found in the thoroughbred, vnth ten 
generations of pure blood flowing in its veins. 

She appears as conscious of her noble ancestry as the 
tartaned chieftain, whose pedigree runs back to the days 
of Fingal, and who stalks over the heath of his native 
mountain, as if all the heroic deeds of his illustrious pro- 
genitors were within his own reach, and could be outdone 
by the strength of his arm and valor of his heart, requir- 
ing only another Ossian to sing him to glory. 

Sho -lid this filly's temper be in keeping with her form, 
the name will be still more suitable, and she will then be 
our darling. 

Pupix. — This is another colt of the Falcon's. Her four 
white feet and blazed face induced via to call her Oriole, 
and certainly no animal was ever more fancifully marked. 
The old prejudice against " four white feet and a white 
nose " has been so effectually done away with by some of 
the most noted horses, that I am not afraid to admit my 
fondness for it, when so beautifully penciled, as is the case 
with this filly. When Lexington run his match against 
the famed Sallie Waters, some would-be wit shouted to 
take him off the track, quoting the old couplet. He took 
off the track many a dollar which the mare's backers so 
lavishly loaded her with at a hundred to fifty. I saw him 
in the show-ring at the St. Louis Fail' in 1859, and have 



82 iaORSE PORTRAITURE. 

lately had the pleasure of reading a piece of poetry to 
commemorate that event. The perusal of that pleased 
me, finding I was not the only one who had been struck 
with the grandeur of his appearance, heightened by the 
darkened orbs, which was the only reason given for in- 
vesting an inferior, though still noble, animal with the 
blue ribbon. His groom tried to lead him in alone, but 
he dashed about so wildly among the trees outside the 
amphitheatre, that the restraining force of two stalwart 
men was necessary to keep him from injuring himself ; 
and when the multitude greeted his appearance with tu- 
multuous shouts and frantic clapping of hands, he stood 
a moment immovable, every muscle quivering with energy, 
his glossy coat ghstening in the sunlight, flecked with 
spots of white foam ; the swelling veins appearing as if 
they would break through the thin covering which hid 
neither them nor the tension of the muscles, now rigid as 
steel bars. It was hardly for the space of a second he 
thus stood, striving against the loss of vision as if he 
would strain the useless eye-balls out of their sockets, 
when he bounded as though the trumpet had sounded to 
start him in another victorious race. These shouts to him 
were familiar, as they had before reverberated on his ear 
on the sj)ringy Metairie or Classical Association grounds 
at Lexington, and he could only associate them with vic- 
tories won, knowing the power was still in his sinewy 
limbs to repeat the feat. The darkened veil hid that vast 
assemblage from his sight, but as the garlands of bright 
flowers woven by the fair fingers of the daughters of the 
sunny South were placed on his neck, and chaplets of 
every hue graced his brow, he became quieter, as if aware 
it was the guerdon due his former prowess. He strode 
out of the ring with elastic step, his unrivalled pasterns 
enabling him to walk as gracefully as though he could see 
the way. 



BREAKING. 83 

This j&lly's dam I knew notliing about, she having been 
fuTind astray on the large bottom at the junction of a 
river with the Mississippi. As you will perceive, her form 
is good, though her temper is more sluggish than any 
ether of her sire's get. When first harnessed, she seemed 
to know just what was wanted of her; and anxious to 
obey, she takes very naturally to trotting, possessing a 
right handy step; but when forced to go faster, will roll 
and hitch, trying her best to go as fast as wanted, before 
she leaves her feet. 

Pkeceptob. — I would not be surprised if this strongly 
made, quiet filly, made the fastest or rather the most re- 
liable trotter in the string. From her general appearance 
she has undoubtedly plenty of resolution when aroused. 
Her dociHty of temper i-s a great assistance akeady gained, 
as those that are as nervous as Delle and Mavourneen 
require very careful usage to overcome its bad effects. 
You must be careful not to spoil the naturally handy step 
by forcing her to what you yet cannot expect her to do. 
A good breaker is a great advantage in a race when you 
can force him along at the topmost rate without being 
fearful of the consequences of leaving his feet, which if 
he does is no detriment. But we all know how trying it 
is for the judges to withstand the clamor of, " See him 
run;" "He gained every time he broke;" "Set him back 
according to rule, and he will not win the heat." I am 
well aware that very few, even among the good breakers, 
gain anything by breaking, if the drivers do their duty by 
endeavoring to catch them at once. Yet it is a matter of 
great annoyance to owners, and judges as well as drivers, 
to listen to the complaints of those who, having at the 
outside five dollars invested in the race, make more noise 
and disturbance than others losing thousands. I there- 
fore always try to teach my horses not to break, but to 
depend on a steady, constant trot, that will carry them 



84 HOESEPOETEAITURE. 

to their more ambitious rivals before they get down the 
home stretch. This filly, if judiciously driven, will never 
know anything- about breaking, and time must be taken 
with her as well as the headstrong Delle, so that she wiU 
not roll and hitch behind, — a gait easier acquired than for- 
gotten. As to the christening, it is easier to find fault 
with a thing than to mend it. I suppose, as you say, the 
white and black coat gave you the idea of Oriole, as well 
as keeping up the ornithological names in the family. 
Not being familiar with a science that delighted Wilson 
and Audubon, I cannot say how appropriate it is. She is 
marked more like a bobolink than any other bird with 
which I am acquainted, but that name would not sound as 
smoothly as the one she wears. The next colt is rather 
a different looking customer from the rest ; he has not 
shed his coat yet, and is very thin. Quite a difference 
from the others, who are so plumj) and well fed. You 
must have picked him up where feed was scarce. 

Pupil. — This rough-coated, starved looking three-year- 
old is, after the Falcon, my chief favorite, and in place of 
picking him up at some cross road, I watched for his ap- 
pearance into this world with as much anxiety as the lover 
does for the apj)roach of his mistress. When his mother 
was bred to the Falcon, I made up my mind that the pro- 
duct would not only be A No. 1, but would be a practical 
exemplification of the theory I have advanced for many a 
year. She is a bay mare, of rather more than the average 
size, say 15| hands, and is very high form. Her sire was 
Alex. Chui'chill, a horse that had a high reputation in 
Kentucky, and weU he might, having run a four-mile heat 
in 7:41 — with one exception, the best time ever made 
there up to this day. He was by imported Zinganee, 
dam by Bertrand. The mare's dam was by Cherokee ; 
her grand-dam a mare that always threw a winner. This 
pedigree shows her to have several crosses of Sir Archy ; 



AWILDCOLT. 85 

and as the Falcon also runs back to the same distin- 
gtiished source, through Lady Lightfoot, Henry, Bacchus 
and young Janus. She was a race nag of no ordinary ca- 
pacity, beating, among others. Little Flea, Lithgow and 
Diamond. Her. trotting step is very fine, swinging oft' 
with such a loose, open gait that only needs cultivation 
to make fast. When this fellow eventually made his de- 
but, my anxiety was put at rest so far as shape was con- 
cerned. There never was a better made foal dropj)ed. 
It being my usual custom to handle the foal from the 
very outset, I made my approach cautiously, but never 
deer or untamed stag was more frightened than he. He 
rushed at the sides of the box as though he would break 
them down. Thinking, if once cornered and caught, he 
would be likely to forget his great fright, I got hold of him 
and sincerely believe if I had held him ten minutes his 
heart would have burst. His efforts were as frantic as the 
struggles of a madman, and after releasing him his heart 
beat so violently, that it shook his fi'ame. As he grew 
older he became worse, and if a person went into the 
stall, no matter how cautiously, his excitement was in- 
tense. When the mare was turned out to pasture, he 
would not mingle with the other colts, and if he chose 
to play, it was always by himself. When his mother was 
brought up to feed, he stalked majestically in the rear, 
every motion showing that he was fearful of falling into 
an ambush, and was on the alert to prevent it. His dam 
proved a poor suckler, and though bruised oats and car- 
rots were fed her, she would not even nibble at the tempt- 
ing food. That fall he was thin in flesh, but rather above 
the ordinary size, and as the mare was not in foal, I de- 
termined to let him suck through the winter. The box 
was roomy, and, after he became familiarized with Hving 
there, I placed a feed box out of the reach of the mare, 
and fixed her own too high for him to reach it. He would 



86 HORSE PORTKAITURE. 

never touch the food if he thought he was observed, and 
I have watched him from a position where I knew he could 
not see me, but never during the whole winter detected 
him feeding. The mess that was put in the box would be 
gone by morning ; and the amount inci^ased till he was 
eating as much or more than any colt on the place, though 
he still kept poor. The following summer was much the 
same ; he keej)ing up his dignity by never joining the 
other colts, feeding alongside his mother ; when she went 
among the other mares, he kept aloof, as if there was deg- 
radation in the association. That winter he had the box 
to himself, but no change took place in either his appear- 
ance or habits. 

Towards spring, I made up my mind to halter-break 
him, and taking advantage of a deep fall of snow, so that 
he would be less hkely to injure himself, I had to get 
the assistance of two men to get the halter on him. We 
thought it the best way to Rareyize, or rather, to place 
the merit where it belongs, follow Dennis Offut's plan, but 
here was a case where it was apparent it would not do. 
When laid down, after the most tremendous struggle I 
ever witnessed, you could see he would never succumb 
till life was extinct. Every muscle was swollen, the eyes 
bloodshot, and his whole appearance hke a horse suffering 
with lockjaw. I undid the straps, put a long rope on the 
halter, determined that if he could not be broken without 
these much vaunted appliances he should remain as he 
was. He sprung away as far as the rope would allow, and 
when found he could get no further, he commenced walk- 
ing in a circle, his eye never for an instant neglecting to 
watch my movements. 

I continued this treatment from day to day, until he 
would follow, but always at the extreme leng-th of the 
rope. Spring-time came, and I was away from home till 
July. It was not thought safe to allow him to run in the 



''KING OF THE GHOSTS.'* 87 

tield, so lie was confined to a small paddock, and fed all the 
grain and liay he would eat. "When I came home, I led 
him out with the long rein, and he would pick the clover 
blades if you kept at a proper distance, but as yet would 
not suffer the least aj)proach to familiarity. Now he has 
so far relaxed his vigilance that you can place your hand 
on his neck, but any further advances are repelled with a 
resentment that is determination itself. The long jour- 
ney in the cars has proved beneficial in partially subduing 
this refractory temper. The novelty of the situation has 
given him some new ideas which I hope can be taken ad- 
vantage of. While in the cars he would suffer a surcingle 
to be laid on his back, a proceeding which would have 
made him frantic at home. I am convinced that it is 
neither timidity nor fear, as he never even started at the 
approach of the locomotive, and preserved his equanimity 
on the most trying occasions. I am well satisfied that, 
when once broken, he will be rehable, and the very quali- 
ties that have troubled me so much will prove of vast 
benefit when placed under proper control. One great 
argument advanced against the thoroughbred is their 
irritabihty and high temper. That they possess the last 
qualification, I am ready to admit, and without it, would 
not be of the same value. Their vices and irrascibility 
have, in ninety-nine cases in a hundred, resulted from im- 
proper breaking. I have full faith we can teach this colt 
what we want him to learn, and have brought him along, as 
I would not trust him in other hands. My youngest little 
girl dubbed him " King of the Ghosts," and when asked 
the reasons for naming him, said he would not play with 
the other colts, and looked just as the horse did that was 
buried under the big cottonwood tree ; that the fairies 
must certainly have brought him, as he neither looked or 
acted hke a human horse, being determined that mortal 
straps or harness should never interfere with his free mo- 



88 HOESEPOKTRAITURE. 

tions. We have retained tlie King part, and I am not 
without hopes that " of hotter?, " may yet be added. I 
have now paraded all the inmates of the trial stable, and, 
if the description has been tedious, you may congratulate 
yourself like the man just recovered from the smaU-pox, 
that although he was badly scarred and seamed he would 
not have to go through with it again. 

Peeceptor. — I do not say from courtesy alone that your 
descriptions have not wearied me. Your enthusiasm in 
all that pertains to the horse, even your fervid admiration 
of the blood horse, that leads you to such a length that 
some of your positions will be untenable, please me. When 
we have leisiu-e time, as we sit on the verandah and smoke, 
you must continue your history of the Iowa farm. As for 
this young scion of nobility, I have been examining him 
more closely while you were recounting his history, and 
find him a very different animal from what my first im- 
pression was. There is certainly no flesh in the way to 
hide the study of the osseous structure. He will never 
equal his sire in justness of proportion, though he has 
more of his peculiar build than any of the rest of the 
colts. I will not offer a word of advice as to breaking 
him: convinced that your experience in that line has been 
greater than mine. I will look on with interest, as he is 
undoubtedly as hard a customer as could be found; and 
if you succeed in making him " gentle and reUable," there 
is nothing in the way of making him a trotter. 

I must now bid you good-bye, ha\'ing business in town. 
By the time the horses have had their morning walk I 
will be here, when we will take the Falcon, Never Mind, 
and Jane, to the shop, and have shoes put on that will do 
for them to commence work in. 

Have the boys wet some tow and place in their feet to 
Boften the horn, and only walk them an hour. 



CHAPTEE VII. 

WAIiKING AND SHOEING. 

Peeceptok. — Good morning, scholar. Providence has 
again blessed us with another fine morning, — so fine that 
my heart responds with gratitude to the Great Father for 
the many beautiful mornings he has permitted us to enjoy. 
This " sweet habit of existence " is doubly sweet when the 
merry month of May proves so lovely. I have thought the 
English poets have given it too much prominence over the 
month of June, There is probably a difi'erence in their 
cHmate that gives it the precedence, or they would not 
have been so unanimous in their expressions of fondness. 
One of the gi-andest of that grand body thus apostro- 
phises it : — 

" For thee, sweet montli, the groves green liveries wear, 
If not the first, the fairest of the year ; 
For thee the graces lead the dancing hours, 
And Nature's ready pencil paints the flowers." 

Pupil. — I shall certainly coincide with you in preferring 
June to May, in our northern latitudes ; but the air is as 
balmy and fragrant tliis morning as could be wished, and 
the budding flowers and springing leaves are greatly to 
be admired. The remembrance of the stinging blasts of 
winter is yet fresh in our memory, and the contrast height- 
ens the enjoyment. In England, the spring opening earher 
than here. May has usurped all of the praises due its 
flowery reign. Ancient customs have marked this month 
as proper for the return of gaiety, partially suspended 
during the dreary period of winter. The Christmas fes- 



90 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

tivities partake of a religious character; but now Venus 
and Flora are the presiding deities, when young hearts 
pay their orisons at the shrine of the first and seek the 
aid of the latter to be more refined and tasteful in the 
tlisplay of their devotions. To continue your quotation 
from " Glorious John :" — 

" The sprightly May commands our youth to keep 
The vigils of their night, and breaks their sleep : 
Each gentle breast with kindly warmth she moves — 
Inspires new flames, revives extinguished loves." 

One great advantage we possess in our climate is, that 
there is no time of the year that a reasonable man can 
well find fault with. Foggy November is one of the most 
enjoyable months in the year — at least in the West, — and, 
in fact, the biting cold of the winter is only for a few days 
at a time ; in the intervening portions, the air gives a zest 
to the sleigh-ride, manthng the cheek of beauty with roses 
that outdo those of the growth of this genial month. 

We have followed your directions, and the horses ai'e 
now ready to start for the blacksmith shop. If it is a 
distance that will be inconvenient to walk, we will harness 
Falcon to the road wagon. 

Pkeceptoe. — ^It is only a short mile from here, and the 
walk will do us as much good as the horses. The walk will 
also enable me to give you my ideas in regard to that exer- 
cise. When in my boyhood's days I was with the stable of 
race horses, all the exercises were more protracted than at 
present, more especially the walk. One trainer I was ac- 
quainted with hardly gave his horses time to eat or sleep, 
but kept up a continual round of exercise from early in 
the morning till sundown. I have frequently seen his 
horses in such a state of exhaiistion from this continuous 
labor, that they could not run a mile in 2:05. He was 
quite successful, however, notwithstanding this bad treat- 
ment. A week or ten days before they had to run in a 



EXCESSIVE WALKIIS'G. 91 

race, he would throw them up, giving only short gallops 
and very little walk, thus bringing their foot back without 
enough time elajDsing to accumulate inside fat. It was 
a perilous system to follow. I knew several to attempt it, 
and the result to them was always failure. He knew just 
how far to go, and when to ease them before their powers 
were to be tested in a race. I have seen one of his horses, 
after having concluded the work marked out for him to 
do, neigh before leaving the track. Another mile or two, 
with sharp work in the stretches, was sure to be the sen- 
tence, — this display of exuberant animal feehngs being 
always certain to be followed by extended work till the 
time came for the cessation. 

The general custom then was to walk three times a day, 
no matter what the animal was. The gallops would be 
varied according to the different requirements of the 
horses; but it never entered the trainer's head that the 
slower gait needed variations on account of difference in 
temperament or form — the flighty, narrow-waisted, deli- 
cate feeder getting just as much as the sluggish, heavy 
made, phlegmatic individual, that took everything as qui- 
etly as if he had no care or ambition to do more than he 
was absolutely compelled. Races, either running or trot- 
ting, are short periods of violent exertion, when every 
muscle is called upon to perform to its utmost endeavor. 
The training, then, is to enable the animal to accomplish 
this as easily as possible. 

In ancient times, Hercules and Mercury were associated 
as patrons of the Olympic games to show that force must 
be accompanied by address. Our aim, then, should be to 
balance force and address so that their proj)ortions will 
harmonize, and while we increase the strength, be cau- 
tious to employ means that wOl not interfere with agility. 
Walking has a great part to perforin in fitting a horse 
for rapid locomotion. 



^2 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

Should all the exercise be at a fast pace, the machine 
would soon fly to pieces. There can be no rule laid down 
to say how much of this exercise must be given ; as the 
requirements for different constitutions will vary more 
than is generally thought. The practice most followed 
is to send the horses all out at once, and bring them in at 
the same time, which is certainly erroneous. I have often 
asked trainers, why they walked their horses ; and nine 
out of ten could give no reasons, only that such had been 
the custom. The walli, if not carried too fai-, gives sup- 
pleness to the muscles, increases the appetite by giving 
tone to the stomach, furnishes pure air to the lungs, so 
that the blood is thoroughly oxygenated and the nerve 
force augmented in a way that I cannot explaia, but which 
is evident in the general increase of health. If the exer- 
cise is too mu.ch prolonged, the ligaments are strained and 
lose their elasticity. The sensitive membrane is inflamed 
that covers them, and the joints are injured by the con- 
tinual strain. The monotony of the walk must be over- 
come by changing the ground so often that the horses 
may be reheved by seeing different objects to attract their 
attention. The custom of clothing a horse heavily during 
these diurnal rounds I also think is wrong, and in my 
practice I have discontinued it. I cannot understand why 
it should be beneficial, and have often asked those who 
follow it to explain the advantages. This has never been 
done satisfactorily to me. Some say that it hardens the 
flesh. This is much better done by exercise. Others, that 
the horse must be protected from taking cold. If it is 
necessary to wear a heavy blanket, thick kersey cover and 
hood to do this, I am much mistaken, and think the fan- 
cied prevention only causes the animal to become more 
delicate. Men who clothe in the stable according to the 
exigencies of the weather never think of changing the 
walking garments so long as perspiration is not induced. 



SWEATING — SHOEING. 93 

The disadvantages are, that, when it becomes necessary to 
sweat a horse, the number of blankets required is in an 
increased ratio to what he has worn in the stable and 
wliile walking, the system having adapted itself to this 
artificial covering, hke men who wear their winter habits 
throughout the summer, professing no more inconvenience 
than those who resort to linen and nankeen. 

How beautifully Nature works for the welfare of her 
children, is exempHfied in the care with which she changes 
the horse's covering, to suit the changes of temperature. 
The thin coat of summer is shed in the fall, to give place 
to one that is* more of a protection again st the inclement 
air. With the advance of spring there is another change, 
and when the hot summer days come, a third molting 
takes place, and the thinnest of covers is all that is 
granted. 

My remarks have been apphcable only to the walk, as 
a means of exercise, previous to commencing faster v>^ork. 
When the pace is quickened, and the walks are necessarily 
shortened in the morning, even in some cases done away 
with, we wiU discuss while the horses are actually engaged, 
and we can note the effect. The walk, then, has a still 
"nore important duty to perform, viz : — obviating the dan- 
ger attending " cooling off." Having now arrived at the 
smithy, we will proceed to the business in hand. If you 
have studied the works of the various writers on shoeing, 
you will perceive I follow an entirely different plan from 
any they have recommended. I do not want you to take 
my dictum as gospel, and wiU give you the reasons I have 
for shoeing horses after my plan. It was formerly my 
custom to have the shoes for the front feet made flat and 
wide on the ground surface, with a small steel calk in at 
the toe to prevent weai'. The web of the shoe was tapered 
from the toe to the heel, and the fuller or crease cut deeply, 
so that the heads of the nails would be on a level with the 

5 



94 HOESB POKTKAITURB. 

surface. The inner part had a flat bearing of about half 
an inch in width for the nail to rest on, then made con- 
cave, so that there would be room between it and the sole 
to introduce a picker, and that the sole in its descent 
might not be bruised. The shoe being properly fitted, 
was fastened to the hoof with nails driven about the cen- 
ter of the crust, the points "getting a good hold" by 
coming out about an inch above the shoe. The hind 
shoes were made narrower and lighter, with both heel 
and toe calks. The plan I now follow, is, to have the fore 
shoes swedged with a tool that leaves a rim all around 
the shoe of three-eighths of an inch at the base, coming to 
a dull edge at the apex, being about the same depth as it 
is wide. The remaining part of the web is concaved on 
the inside, and on the outside the crease is cut where the 
web and rim join, with an inward inchnation. The nails 
are driven from the inside of the crust in place of the 
middle, with a slope that will bring them out half an inch 
above the shoe. The reasons for adopting this system of 
nailing are, that, as the hoof is composed of a great num- 
ber of thin plates or laminjB overlaying each other — the 
fibers running up and down the foot — when a nail is 
driven in the center, it has a tendency to divide the lay- 
ers, and either split them asunder or cause an undue 
pressure when di-iven higher than the insensible sole. 
By starting the nails from the inside of the crust and 
taking more of a horizontal direction, the laminae are not 
divided, but perforated, giving a far better hold for the 
nan, with no danger of either wounding the sensitive 
parts or pressing on them to cause pain. When the nail 
is driven thi'ough, the point is twisted ofif, and in lieu of 
taking the rasp and filing an ugly crease that weakens the 
hoof by destroying the enamel, a very small gouge merely 
removes enough of the horn to hide the clinch riveted 
with a punch, and of course, entirely out of the way of 



IMPEOVED METHOD OF SHOEIlirG. 95 

doing injury. The clinches " cannot raise, " as the heads 
of the nails are completely protected by the swedged rim. 
There is a small clip at the toe with the additional se- 
curity of a nail driven in that strongest part of the foot ; 
three nails on each side giving ample assurance that it 
cannot be displaced. These nails only go back as far as 
the widest part of the foot, leaving the quarters unob- 
structed in their motion. The hind shoes differ in being 
a great deal lighter, and in place of the swedged rim are 
so concave that they have an angle or bend of about forty- 
five degrees. The crease is cut in the rim, and when the 
nails are driven they are filed away till the whole shoe is 
left so smooth that if even a horse "grabs," it slips off 
the quarter without doing an injury. The back part of 
the web of the hind shoe is what gives the wound when 
a horse cuts his quarters, and when turned over the horn 
of the anvil — as is the customary plan — is almost as sharp 
as a kliife. You. can satisfy yourself that this is the part 
of the shoe that does the mischief, by observing the wound, 
which is always triangular, the point being the place where 
first struck, and the flap or torn skin falling back and at- 
tached at the lower end or base of the triangle. But still 
the most conclusive proof is, that with the shoe made as I 
have described, with no toe calk, sharp web or nail heads, 
there never will be a wound. The quarter may be bruised 
by a blow from the iron, but even that will be mitigated 
by the smooth surface. There are, of course, horses that 
could not be shod in this way, from their feet being dis- 
eased or defective — some requiring round or bar shoes, 
others with a gutta-percha or leathern sole, and still 
others with a great part of the horn and shoe cut away 
to guard against the result of faulty action arising from 
wrong shape, &c., &c. 

A natui-al, healthy foot is the one I am now directing 
to be shod, so as to do the work in the best manner rt^ 



96 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

quired, and keep it in its normal condition. Those who 
still stick to the first shoe I described will say that it is 
the only one for a trotter, without deigning to give any 
reason why it is so. The advantages I claim for the con- 
tinuous rim or calk, are, that it is more like the natural 
unshod foot, bringing the support where it is required, 
directly under the wall ; t] .at it gives a firmer hold of the 
ground, enabhng the animal to retain every inch he pro- 
gresses, and adds to the confidence he has of not slipping, 
so that he strikes out boldly to the limit of his stride. 
Should the track be very hard, there is less concussion 
than where there is an inch and a half of flat metal to 
meet it. Should it be inclined to cup or give, the con- 
cavity gives a far better traction than the flat, with less 
tendency to " pick up." In the mud, no one will deny its 
advantages over the customary way of placing the points 
only at the heel and toe. In preparing the foot to receive 
this shoe, I may still be thought singular. I will give my 
reasons, and until some one converts me to another plan, 
by force of argument, I shall continue in my own without 
the fear of ridicule, which has no better logic than a laugh 
to carry its point. I suffer no part of the foot to be pared, 
only the wall, and that is cut till it rests on the floor in a 
natural manner. Great care must be taken that the pro- 
per amount be cut from toe and heel to effect this. I 
think the general error is in allowing the heels to be too 
high. When it has been cut with the rasp and knife, a 
smooth file finishes the preparation, so that there are no 
inequalities to keep the shoe from touching every place. 
When nailed on, the shoes must come exactly to the edge 
of the hoof; in no case projecting the least beyond it. If 
this fitting has been properly done, there need be no rasp- 
ing or filing the horn to injure the outward coating and 
destroy the elasticity of the hoof. 

The sole is left just as natui-e made it, and we will try 



IMPROPER SHOEING. 97 

and keep it. It has a rugged appearance that will mor- 
tify the blacksmith, but will retain the moisture better 
than any stopping, and when the surplus portion needs 
removal, will exfoliate before it comes in the way. Many 
blacksmiths wiU need watching, in their anxiety to do a 
finished job, which consists in paring away sole and frog, 
opening the fissures between the bars and frog, and 
rasjDing the outside of the horn to within an inch of the 
hair. The natural mechanism of the horse's foot is beau- 
tiful. His domestication requiring of him artificial duties 
necessitates artificial aid. How much it ought to be our 
study to ameliorate the ills forced ou him, and make the 
willing servitude, as much as lies in our power, a pleasure ! 
In no way can there be so much unnecessary suffering- 
relieved as by attention to shoeing. Any one who will 
take his station for an hour on the crowded streets of a 
city will be convinced of this. How rarely do you see a 
horse stepping out with the free, grand motion, resulting 
from sound feet and hmbs. They come hobbling by, 
some of them with dauntless spirit, enduring tortui'e, 
partially hidden by a jaunty air, that would make the 
most heroic biped grate his teeth with pain. 

"Never Mind" we will have shod with a shoe weisfhinsr 
about twelve ounces. From the description you give of 
his manner of going, he has, probably, rather an excess of 
knee action, and by putting on rather a light shoo we 
win remedy it. His hind shoe should not weigh over a 
third as much; and to guard against getting on his 
quarters, we will have them made as I described, and set 
a short distance back from the toe, which must project 
over the shoe about half an inch. 

Bad driving, as I said before, has as much to do with 
horses striking their quarters as anything else. When a 
horse breaks and is jerked from one side of the track to 
the other with all the strength a man possesses, there is a 



98 HORSEPOETEAITURE. 

great danger of his hitting somewhere ; and it is fortu- 
nate if it is the quarter instead of the knee. When to this 
snatching is added a short martingale, the tendency to 
hit is still greater. The head being pulled close to the 
breast, the horse has no freedom of action left ; and I 
have known horses hit themselves between the knee and 
pastern when thus tangled. 

The Falcon shall wear what I term a mediiun weight 
for an ordinary sized foot, viz : each fore shoe weighing 
a pound. I have always found an advantage in making 
the hind shoe very light. The hind legs are the propel- 
ling power, throwing the body forward, while the fore legs 
support it and are merely rolled out of the way. In 
order that they may do this, the knee requires to be well 
doubled, to ensure a proper length of stride correspond- 
ing to the force of propulsion of the hind legs. The hind 
feet, however, cannot be carried too close to the ground, 
as there is less expenditure of strength than when raised 
higher. The light shoe, therefore, interferes less with 
this skimming motion than one heavier. That a few 
ounces' difference in weight of the shoe of so powerful an 
animal as the horse should make so much difference in 
the speed, can only be accounted for by the change in 
the action of the animal. Turfmen will tell you that 
there is from three to four seconds in time between shoes 
and plates in running a mile. The one set will weigh say 
forty ounces, the other ten. This small decrease of 
weight, though placed where it exerts the most influence, 
can never bo sufficient reason for making fifty yards' 
difference in a mile. 

To carry this argument still fiu-ther, with- an illustration 
that is to the jooint : a trotter can go faster with the shoe 
as usually worn, than if plated, like the race horse. So 
the disadvantage of increase of weight is more than 



IlfJTJRIES TO THE KNEE. 99 

counterbalanced by the action being better calculated for 
rapidity of trotting. 

Jane we will have shod a little Heavier, adding a couple 
of ounces to each shoe. If I thought she had hit her 
knee from her own fault, I would put the two ounces on 
the outside of the shoe. But as I am satisfied the injury 
arose from bad handling, we will make the shoes to 
balance. It is reduced to a certainty with me that a 
horse's way of going can be gi-eatly modified by an un- 
equal shoe. I had one horse that hit himself violently on 
the shin with the outside of the forefoot, and on weight- 
ing the shoe he escaped the blow on the shin, but did 
what was worse, hit liis knee. While Jane is working 
slow, we must try to reduce the enlargement, and bring 
the knee to the natural size. To effect this, we will irri- 
tate the cuticle with oil of cedar, and then ajDply mer- 
curial ointment, or some preparation of iodine. I have 
been very successful with this mode of treatment. 

In case of a recent injury to the knee, a very different 
course would have to be followed, by placing the feet in a 
tub, and giving a thorough bathing with hot bran tea, 
applying it for an hour or longer, then swathing with 
flannel baiidages wet with the tincture of arnica, reduced 
by adding three parts of water to one of tincture. Should 
the inflammatory symptoms not be abated the next day, 
apj^ly pounded ice, to be followed by a strong decoction 
of mullein leaves — of course, dispensing with all fast 
work, lessening the feed considerably, and giving acidu- 
lated di-ink. If at a season of the year when grass or 
green corn blades can be got, give a plentiful supply of 
them, with a bran mash not too often. I am in favor of 
gi\'ing green food more than mashes, and will give you 
my reasons for the preference at a future time. 

"We can leave this blacksmith safely, as I will warrant 
him to do the shoeing as directed ; so we will walk back 



100 HOKSB POETRAITURE. 

to the stable and see to the arrangement of things there. 
Much work can be saved by having a place for the 
"traps," and making an imperative rule that each article 
shall be retui-ned where it belongs. 

Pupil. — To say that I have listened with attention, while 
you have been talking of the walking and shoeing, would 
be a poor return for the information I have received in so 
short a space. The ideas are nearly all new to me, but I 
can give no reason why they should not be followed. I 
have had an illustration of the danger of driving nails too 
high in the horn, even when there was no direct injury 
to the sensitive parts when first shod, and which resulted 
in the death of one of the finest animals I ever saw. 

Early in the spring of 1863, I accompanied a gentleman 
to Kentucky for the purj)ose of purchasing a few colts. 
We got to Cincinnati at the time Mt. Sterling was cap- 
tured by the Confederates, and, of course, there was great 
excitement all along the line of the Lexington and Cov- 
ington Railroad. Paris was supposed to be the next point 
of attack, and the railroad officials debated some time be- 
fore they would send out a train, finally concluding to do 
so. By this conveyance we reached Lexington, and spent 
a short time there, looking at the stock of Jno. M. Clay, 
and others in the vicinity. There were Lodi, Kentucky, 
and many other fine specimens of the blood horse ; but, 
unfortunately, Mr. Clay was not at home, so that we 
could only admire the horses and everything about his 
well-kept estabhshment— to my mind, the most perfect of 
any we saw. We were Idndly received, however, by his 
trainer, who showed us all in his department, and he 
certainly deserved the credit of having his horses well 
advanced in condition ; and the arrangement of the train- 
ing quarters was admirable. That morning we break- 
fasted with Mr. E. E. Eagle, who not only gave us a 
genuine Kentucky welcome, but accompanied us in our 



A KENTUCKY COLT. 103 

visit to the other places. When we left Mr. Clay's, we 
came back by the way of Ashland ; and my enthusiastic 
admiration of the great man, whose home it had been, 
was gratified by seeing the place, so beautiful by na- 
ture, still further adorned by the plantations which he 
had superintended. But I must not be tempted to de- 
scribe any of these places, as our wait is too shori to admit 
of even a sketch of their beauties. We took the afternoon 
train to Spring Station, and T greatly enjoyed the two- 
mile walk over the verdant blue grass sod to Woodburn. 
The next day was occupied in glancing at the stock on 
that vast domain ; but there was so much of it, that the 
mind got confused by the number seen, and it was diffi- 
cult to get a correct impression that could be retained 
by the memory without mixing up different animals to- 
gether. 

There were two, however, that struck my fancy more 
than any of the others : a bay colt, by Lexington, out of 
Nebula, the peerless Asteroid, and a bay colt by Knight 
of St. George, out of Miriam. They were both rated at 
the same piice, and I finally settled on the son of the 
conqueror of the dragon. I will only describe him by 
saying he was the most finished specimen of horse-flesh I 
ever saw ; powerfully made, yet showing quality of the 
highest character. I have a print, copied from Herring, 
Sen., of Beeswing ; I have admired it as coming exactly 
to my idea of what a horse should be, and I often point 
it out to visitors as being a model, in my estimation, as it 
is in the opinion of those much more capable of judging. 
This colt's similarity of form to the picture was remark- 
able. Mr. Alexander sent us, in his carriage, to pay a 
visit to " Uncle Ned," where we were so agreeably enter- 
tained that the evening shades were falling ere we re- 
gained Woodburn. We found every one much excited, 
there being a report that Breckenridge was within six miles, 

5* 



102 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

with a large force under his command, conscripting all 
who came in his way. A gentleman from Ohio accom- 
panied us on our way to Ecj^uii'ia, intending to tate the 
cars at Spring Station ; but they had passed laden wath 
soldiers and artillery. 

This looked as if the Federals were evacuating Lex- 
ington, and increased the excitement. Mr. Alexander 
kindly offered to send us in his carriage to Georgetown, 
where we could get a conveyance to Cincinnati ; but I 
had fallen so completely in love "with the colt, that I was 
determined to take him home, if I had to lead him 
through the w'oods to the Ohio river. At my urgent re- 
quest, Mr. Alexander delayed sending us off tiU a boy 
could go to Midway and get a rehable report from the 
telegraphic operator at that place. He came back in a 
very short time with the news, that the Confederates were 
no nearer than Danville, some thirty miles distant. This 
relieved the party of their fears for their immediate safety, 
and led them to stay over night. 

Mr. Alexander agreed to send some of his men with the 
horses purchased to Cincinnati, and in order that they 
might have an early start, the colts were brought up before 
daylight in the morning and shod. This was necessary, 
as the hai'd rock roads would have worn their feet to the 
quick, if they had not been protected. They got to the 
Queen City, looking jaded, but no other bad effects from 
the journey wei'e visible. I accompanied them myself 
from Cincinnati to Chicago, taking the Air Line Koad, 
— and I cannot pass further without remarking that the 
roads between these two cities are cursed with the most 
disobliging set of officials I ever had to endufe in all my 
travels. The journey that ought to have been made in 
tnirty-six hours, at furthest, occupied five days. I was 
well prepared with hay, feed, blankets, &c. ; and having 
the whole car for three colts — two two-year-olds and a 



LOCKJAW — IMPROPEK SHOEIN^G. 103 

yearling, liad plenty of room. When we laid up, wliich 
was every night but one, and a great part of the day also, 
I could not prevail on the conductor to di-aw the car to the 
platform, where I could take the colts off to exercise ; so, 
when not in motion, I turned them loose in the car. After 
the first night, they would he down and rest as comfort- 
ably as if in a stable. The second day I discovered the 
Knight was lame in one of his hind legs. After the 
closest scrutiny, I could not tell where it was seated, 
and came to the conclusion it must be in the foot. He 
was in a good deal of pain, holding up the foot, or resting 
it on the toe. 

Before I got to Chicago, the lameness was less apparent ; 
and leading him from the cars to the stable, he went as 
sound as ever. I took the colts to the blacksmith shop, 
had all of the shoes pulled off, and after a good groom- 
ing, put them in roomy box stalls with comfortable beds, 
gave them a warm mash, and felt that they were well 
cared for. 

When I woke up the next morning, it took me some 
moments to realize I was not on the railroad ; but the 
luxurious hair mattress and the comfortable room at the 
hotel recalled me to a knowledge of the true situation. 
As I did not expect to continue my journey for a day or 
two, I was in no hurry to get up. The deprivation of all 
comfort for the last few days made my present position 
the more enjoyable, and I felt incHned to make the most 
of it. 

I lay building air-castles in which the half-brother to 
Mammona and Magenta took a conspicuous place. He 
must be run till four or five years old, leaving the legi- 
timate tiu'f, crowned with bays, to gather fresh chaplets 
on the Union and Fashion Coiu'ses, the meed of victories 
won at the less graceful trot. My reveries were cut short 
by the ostler coming to my door and telhng me one of 



104 HOESE PORTEAITURE. 

the colls had the "belly-ache." Which one? I eagerly 
enquii'ed. The j)retty bay, was his answer. All three were 
bays, but I knew which he meant. I jumped out of bed, 
hurried on my clothes, and found my worst fears more 
than fulfilled. It needed but a glance to arrive at a cor- 
rect diagnosis, — lock-jaw. I led him a few blocks to a ve- 
terinarian, who frankly told me that he had not one 
chance in a hundred to hve. He applied chloroform till 
insensibihty was induced. This was some relief, as, when 
lying under its influence, the pain of looking at him suffer- 
ing so intensely was done away. All the man's skiU availed 
not : he died. 

The conclusion that forced itself on my mind was, that, 
in the hurry of shoeing by the dim light of a lamp, the 
nail was driven too near the quick ; that the jarring of 
the car after journeying over the Macadamized road 
caused the lameness. The pulling the shoe off did still 
further injury. The nerve was wounded, resulting in the 
loss of an animal that would have been of incalculable 
service to the stock of the section where I hved. Crossed 
on mares, the get of the Falcon, would have produced 
trotters to a certainty. His trotting step was as fine as 
pny colt bred expressly for that purpose ever had. His 
blood, form, and quahty, being of so high a character, I 
despair of ever looking on his like again. 



CHAPTEE VIII. 

STABLE MANAGEMENT — GROOMING — SWEATING — BANDAGES — 
CLOTHING — RULES FOR THE STABLE. 

Preceptor. — That was a very Tinfortunate case, losing 
your colt, and I have no doubt the reason you give for 
the attack of tetanus is correct. If, when the shoe was 
pulled off, you had put the foot in a bucket of hot, strong 
ley, made with wood ashes, the fatal result would prob- 
ably have been avoided. Horses take the lock-jaw with- 
out having been wounded. Yet, when it occurs without 
a wound, it is easier managed, and does not generally 
prove so serious. 

The stable management of horses is of the greatest im- 
portance, and the strictest attention is required in order 
that their condition may be advanced, which all our skill 
will not effect if they are neglected there. I do not in- 
tend, at present, to give you a lecture on stable economy, 
but merely to assist you in having the stalls arranged so 
that the least work possible will be required to take care 
of the inmates. This stable is not what I imagine either 
of us would have built; still it can be arranged so that the 
horses may be very comfortable. 

It was my intention to have given you a plan of a train- 
ing stable that would meet my ideas ; but as you have 
not yet erected one on the Iowa Farm, will await your de- 
scription, and suggest such changes as may appear bene- 
ficial. Tour nine horses we will divide into three classes, 
viz. : Falcon, May-Day, and Delle, will take the three stalls 



106 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

that are in one compartment ; we will put them under 
the charge of one man, with a boy to assist in rubbing 
legs, walking, &c. The next division, in like quarters 
and with the same number of attendants, will be Never 
Mind, Jane, and Mavourneen ; while we will expect one 
man to take charge of Clipper, Oriole, and King. The 
" old Virginia " plan in racing stables was to put a man 
and a boy to every horse ; and I have seen the services of 
two men detailed to take care of one of our fastest trot- 
ters. In my opinion, so much helj) is unnecessary, and 
in some cases injurious. Grooming, as well as exercise, 
can be overdone. Wlien the results aimed at are attained, 
what can be the profit of carrying it further ? The bene- 
fits arising from grooming are cleanliness, and keeping 
up the circulation of blood to the extremities by the 
friction. The horse's skin is Hke the human, exudation 
removing impurities from the system, which, if confined, 
would do injury. The dandruff or scurf closing the pores 
has to be removed, and it is astonishing the difference in 
the appearance of the horse between having this duty per- 
formed thoroughly, and having it slighted. 

A good gi'oom is of great value, and, simple as the 
operation appears of cleaning a horse, there are very few 
adepts. The curry-comb in the hands of an artist is used 
only to keep the brush clean. A bungler rakes away with 
it against and across the hair, torturing the horse without 
affecting any good. The brush, if property used, will 
effectually remove the scurf, while the wisp gives the 
polish to the hair, and removes the dust from the surface. 
Fast work, while it makes extra care necessary, decreases 
the labor of keeping the horse clean, the frequency of 
perspiration loosening the dandruff, and lodging it on the 
outside, where its removal becomes less troublesome. It 
is very true that, in the commencement of training, this 
persjDiration is of an oily nature, which, if suffered to dry, 



GROO MING-STALLS. 107 

becomes sticky as wax, matting the hair together. This, 
however, when the stable is situated close to the track 
need never occur, the scraper taking it off before it is al- 
lowed to cool. There is one drawback to the benefit sweat- 
ing confers in lessening the labor of grooming. The per- 
spiration not only removes the dandruff, but also the oily 
matter that gives the gloss to the hair. A fresh secretion 
takes place, the wisping or rubbing stimulating the 
vessels and encoiu'aging the flow. Should this be ne- 
glected, the hair has a harsh feel and a dry apjoearance, 
which, if it does not arise from a neglect of grooming, be- 
tokens a want of condition, the source of which will be 
often difficult to discover. There are times when the labor 
of two men is required on one horse, when giving a sweat, 
a trial, or after r, race. We will arrange the days of 
sweating so that we can call in the help of our other 
classes, and the men mutually assisting each other, there 
will be no lack of help. 

I spoke of grooming and rubbing being overdone. When 
horses are fussed over too much, the time they ought to 
be at rest is broken in upon, and more injury results 
from this than benefit from the extra care. The want of 
box stalls in this stable is partially compensated by there 
being plenty of room for three in each compartment, di- 
vided by partitions that are strongly jDut up. These par- 
titions are deep, so that there is no danger, when a horse 
is lying down, of the hind legs getting beyond the heel- 
post. The feeding boxes are hung on staples driven into 
the wall, so that the box can be removed when the animal 
has eaten the feed. The hay we place on the floor, where 
it will all be picked up, and suits horses better than when 
put in a manger. The stalls are so wide that the horses 
can be dressed in them, and there is a space eight feet 
wide between the heel-post and the wall. The furniture 
consists of a cot bed for the man to sleep in, which can be 



108 HOESE PORTRAITUEE. 

doubled up and set by during tlie day. There are ropes 
stretched along the sides to hang blankets and clothing 
on ; hooks screwed into the wall for the harness, each 
one having a hook. Bridles, surcingles, rubbing cloths, 
chamois skins, are hung where they can be conveniently 
reached. There is a cushion for skewers and a piece of 
flannel, the heads of the nails projecting that fasten it to 
the wall, on which we hang the bits, the flannel protecting 
them from the dampness. We will need quite a collection 
of bits, as you will find a great advantage in different 
forms for different horses ; or the same horse will need a 
change to keep his mouth from getting sore ; or you wiU 
find him working best to-day in a plain snaffle, perhaps 
next week showing his predilection for a bar or a snaffle 
of another pattern. Lantern, muzzle, curry-combs, brushes, 
foot-picks, hair mittens, bandages, sponges, combs, scis- 
sors, soap, tincture of arnica, glycerine, rack for whips, 
are arranged where they vnll be least in the way, yet 
handy to get at ; while we have on hand — ^hoping not to 
have to use them — knee, shin, and quarter boots, buckskin 
rolls, rattles, hand pieces, &c. With forks, shovels, brooms, 
foot-tubs and baskets, we are pretty well supplied with 
necessaries, and as we have a feed-room and shed for the 
sulkies and wagons, we can find no fault with our present 
quarters, even if they could be bettered. One article must 
not be omitted : a good clock with an alarm, that will 
waken the most inveterate sleeper. This placed in the 
foreman's room will enable him to be up in the morning 
and regulate the feeding, which is very essential. Impress 
on the minds of your men certain rules, the violation of 
which wiU be followed by positive dismissal. The first 
and most important, uniform kindness to the horses — 
never to strike or kick one under any circumstances ; to 
cultivate a kind tone of voice, trying to obtain the af- 
fection of the animals ; never exhibiting fear ; nev^r 



STABLE KULE S — C RUEL GROOMING. 109 

using profane or viilgar language ; to put everything 
Allien done using it in its appropriate place ; to wipe the 
I its before hanging up, and rub the sweat off the harness ; 
to follow imphcity your directions, and, in your absence, 
those of the foreman ; never to smoke in the stable, or 
keep a light burning after the usual time ; drunkenness, or 
even " getting a httle tight," to receive condign punish- 
ment, no matter if there are extenuating circumstance ; 
to be neat in personal appearance and in the arrangement 
of the stable. Other minor regulations will present them- 
selves. 

To look for these qualifications in " rubbers " may be 
thought useless ; but I never keep a man unless he pos- 
sess them, and I am happy to state they are obtainable. 
To encourage young men who work for me, and raise 
their aspirations to till their places well, is one of the chief 
aims in my intercourse with them. I furnish them with 
all the tvirf and horse literature that is worthy of being 
read, and not only find it to their advantage, but also a 
great furtherance of my own interests. 

The spare time, of which they have a good deal, is thus 
profitably employed. They take pride in performing their 
duty well, and the information acquired from reading will 
never be obliterated or useless, whatever station in life 
they afterwards occupy. 

Pupil. — The first man who drove the Falcon taught 
him another bad trick, which your remarks on grooming 
bring freshly to my mind. He would tie his head up with 
a rein on each side of the bit, elevating it into a very un- 
comfortable position, and handling the curry-comb, as you 
remarked, to give the most pain, when he came to where 
the hair vras the thinnest, he would bear on with additional 
force and energy of movement, driving the horse nearly 
frantic, who would cringe almost to the floor, and lash 
out his hind feet in a desperate manner, requiring a 



110 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

good deal of agility on the part of his tormentor to teep 
out of his reach. The stable where he was kept was in a 
small village, and there was usually quite a crowd to see 
the horses exercising and watch the movements in the 
stable. I believe this man thought it heightened his con- 
sequence to be seen gi-ooming so desperate an animal, 
and took dehght in aggravating him to the display. A 
brush drawn across a curry-comb wiU put him out of 
temper the moment he hears it. I found in a drug store 
a different kind of hair mitten from any I ever saw. In 
place of the hair being woven in with the material com- 
posing the mitten, it was fashioned like a card, which was 
sewed on the palm. It is very effective in removing dust 
or dandruff fi'om a horse with as thin a coating of hair as 
Falcon has, and I have never suffered anything harsher to 
be used in cleaning him since I obtained it. By placing 
one on each hand the work is not only expedited, but by 
brushing them together they are kept clean. 

Falcon's temper is so much better than it used to be, 
that I am inclined to think the doing away with the 
torture of grooming has caused him to look on men as 
pleasanter companions than he formerly rated them, and 
is on his good behavior as long as he is exempted from 
the annoyance. 

Pkeceptor. — The irritation consequent on the prepa- 
ration of a horse for fast work cannot be done away with, 
as the necessary amount of rubbing inflicts pain. When 
this is increased to positive agony, from the want of sense 
— as shown by the man you mention and by plenty more 
of the same stamp — it is no wonder that the horse's tem- 
per becomes spoiled, so much so, that there is often actual 
danger in dressing them. See what a difference there is 
between men not only in using the comb and brush, but 
the soft piece of linen called a rubbing cloth. The bungler 
bears on as if drying the hair was to be accomphshed by 



RUBBING-CLOTH S — S K E W E R S . Ill 

press "ii-e, as juice is squeezed from the cane ; the little 
bulbs at the root of the hair are made sore, and the job is 
not so quickly or effectually done as with the light motion 
that absorbs the moisture and leaves a glow over the 
whole body that is pleasant to the recipient. There is no 
material I have tried for rubbing cloths better than old 
salt sacks that Liverpool salt is imported in. The salt has 
given them properties, not possessed by the cloth before 
being used. They are heavy and soft, taking up the moist- 
ure more readily than any others. Turkish towels are 
the next best, and after they have been used awhile, are 
capital articles for the purjDOse. The wisp is very effective 
in the hands of a good groom, and when I see a new hand 
make one, I can give a shrewd guess of his skill in the 
stable. The soft wisp when rightly made takes off the 
loose dirt. With a little more twist to make it harder, it 
pohshes the hair and keeps up a circulation better than a 
cloth or brush. Skewers, or "skiwers," as the boys per- 
sist in calling them, will be found very convenient, trivial 
as they appear. The blankets, if furnished with strings, 
will do away with their use in a great measiu^e, though 
when a horse comes in " boiling hot," and it is of great 
importance that the wind should not strike him, then the 
skewers are better than strings to fasten the blankets just 
where we want them. They should be made of tough, 
hard hickory, shaped so as to retain their place, with 
strength enough not to break easily. When a horse has 
to work in clothes, as in a sweat, they should be used 
very sparingly, and great care taken that they are placed 
so as not to wound with the point, or abrade the skin 
with the friction. The head ought not to be larger than 
the bulge. The bandages, of which there should be a set 
for every horse, are made about three yards long, and 
four inches wide, using soft strong flannel, with strings of 
the same material. The color is not important, though T 



112 HORSE PORTEAITURE. 

must acknowledge a penchant for red. The uses of ban- 
dages are very little understood by many trainers, who 
use them on occasions when they are actually an injury, 
and neglect to aj)ply them when good would result. Like 
the shoeing, where I differ from others, I will give my 
reasons for being of a contrary opinion. If they are not 
cogent according to your belief, show me their falsity. 
Converse with others, even those whom you think not so 
well informed. There are points where they may be likely 
to know more than both of us, — and let not the meanness 
of the source detract from the merit of the position. We 
are prone, after estabhshing a favorite theory, to build up 
every weak point ; to search diligently for anything that 
would substantiate it, and as scrupulously avoid every- 
thing that would tend to weaken the structure. As an 
illustration of this, we will take your favorite hobby 
of the superiority of the thoroughbreds in making 
fast trotters. How carefully you dwell on what gives 
strength to the spectdation : their superiority of form for 
rapid movements ; their capability of enduring protracted 
exertion ; their being better supplied with nerve force ; 
their recuperative power that enables them to " come 
again," disdaining to yield when every muscle and tendon 
has been strung to its utmost tension, commanding vic- 
tory when defeat was booked as a certainty. 

You see all this. Do you see as clearly the effects of 
generations of habitude to a different gait ? The young 
grey-hound, by suckhng the pointer, and subjected to the 
most thorough breaking, will never be of use to point 
game. The high temper, will it brook being kept, in the 
excitement of a race, to a pace that the animal knows is 
not the most speedy, and suffer others to lead ? However, 
I do not want to open the question, only to put you on your 
guard against accepting that which I have concluded to be 
right, without scrutinizing closely the reasons I advance, 



BANDAGE U. 113 

giving tbem no more weight, because you are favorably 
imjDressed with my skill, than if they had been uttered by 
some one not familiar with the subject. A person must 
think for himself, and education is only just commencing 
when we put our knowledge to a practical test. 

Bandages have many duties to perform. To a horse 
that has good sound legs that do not swell from the work 
he receives, their only use is to prevent evaporation, and 
keep the legs warm. They would be unnecessary even for 
this purpose, if, after the legs were washed, each could be 
rubbed dry at the same time, though I am not so much 
given to hand-rubbing the legs as many are, and would 
prefer the loosely ajoplied bandage. Should the work 
have been very severe, bandages dipped in hot water, and 
left on all night without being permitted to get dry, will 
be found a great preventive of soreness. If the legs are 
inclined to tumefaction and tenderness, wet bandages are 
almost indispensable. Bear it in mind, that dry bandages 
will increase the inflammatory symptoms, and are never 
to be applied when inflammation exists. Warm water, 
the degree of heat being regulated so that you can just 
bear your hand in it, is just as good as any of the medi- 
cated compounds so much ia vogue. I prefer the bandages 
to fomentations, not that they are better, but are less 
troublesome to apply. 

The reasons for my preferring wet bandages to dry, and 
warm water in place of cold, are, that the moisture acts 
as a poultice, and the heat of the water, confined by the 
flannel, keeps up a perspiration that relieves the parts. 
When applied in the stable, dry bandages should be 
put on loose, so that when the string is tied, you can shp 
your finger easily between it and the leg ; wet ones bear 
being a little tighter. It is quite a knack to put on ban- 
dages properly, particularly where a horse has to take his 
work in them. Have your bandage rolled up smoothly, 



114 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

and commence a little below the knee or hock, "winding it 
carefully, so that there are no creases, till you reach the 
coronet ; then go back with another fold, till you come 
back above the place where you commence, and tie with 
the same care, keeping the strings flat as they cross over 
each other, and fasten. 

The uses of bandages when at work are to support the 
ligaments and tendons, enabling you to keep a horse in 
train that would otherwise have to be thrown up, and to 
recover from a strain that might become serious if he was 
exercised without their support. That there is danger of 
needing them when the horse becomes well, I think is 
unfounded, if their use is discontinued as soon as the leg 
has regained its normal condition. I broke the covering 
of one of the small ligaments in my hand, the sinew 
puffing up to the size of a hazel-nut, and my fingers 
almost completely paralyzed. I could not have lifted ten 
pounds. I immediately applied a bandage, with a small 
flannel compress over the rupture. The relief was instan- 
taneous, and I kept at my work, nearly as if nothing had 
happened. I wore the bandage for some time, and on 
removing it, found no inconvenience for the want of the 
support. Wlien there is much tumefaction, the pressure 
can be increased by tightening the bandage. This assists 
the absorbing vessels to take up the matter that causes 
the swelling, and expels it through the natural channels. 
As the appHcation, in actual practice, is a far better method 
of learning than either oral or written instructions, you 
wiU become familiar with my bandaging system before the 
season is through. 

The clothing of horses is also a subject on which there 
Is much difference of opinion ; the advocates of either 
extreme being confident in the wisdom of the plan they 
follow. While I differ from both, I must say, if compelled 
to adopt either, I would go with those who discard the 



CLOTHING. 115 

blankets. There is a medium that will suit me better. 
Clothing has its uses that can hardly be dispensed with 
in this variable chmate, and the question is, how will we 
apply it to the best advantage. By the use of reasonable 
clothing there is less trouble in the ventilation of the 
stable, as slight changes of temperature are not felt when 
the bodily heat is partially retained by the application of 
a cover. The changes in a day or night range frequently 
through several degrees of the thermometer ; and a horse 
that may have been comfortable with a hnsey in the stable, 
and while taking his afternoon walk, will need the pro- 
tection of kersey fi-om then till morning. This is the 
furthest I would go, from a linen sheet to thick kersey ; 
the addition of one or two blankets being, in my opinion, 
detrimental. If the training is carried on till late in the 
fall, the horse must be allowed to start a growth of hair 
that wiU compensate for the increased cold. The clothes 
that are used when sweating should be of' an entirely 
different character from those intended for daily wear. 
They cannot be too thick, if soft and phable. They need 
to be soft and porous, that they may absorb as much of 
the perspii'ation as possible, — and pliable that they may 
not injure the skin when brought in contact with it by the 
harness. The qiiantity will be in accordance with the 
design of the sweat. The first that takes place in the 
preparation is to get rid of surplus fat, not expecting as 
yet much advantage to the lungs. A slow pace and heavy 
clothing wiU accomplish this purpose. As we advance, 
lighter clothes — with some horses none at all — and a fast 
pace are required. Sweating is of so much importance 
that we will have to give it great consideration ; and as 
the time for your horses to go through the fiery ordeal 
is yet distant, we will postpone the discussion till we 
bring it in actual practice. The cost of clothing, at the 
present day, is one of the heaviest items in the expenses of 



116 HOESE PORTEAITFEE. 

training. Much of this will be saved by your man knowing 
how to take care of the clothes. Cleanliness is the first and 
all-important lesson. The bedding must be arranged so 
that there will be no soiling of the clothes. The horses 
must be taught to stale outside the stable, the droppings 
removed as soon as they faE, and the most fastidious wiU 
not detect any of the ammoniacal scents that are thought 
one of the essential disagreeabilities attendant on keeping 
horses. The decoration of horses is a matter where a 
good deal of taste can be exhibited by the groom. We 
have scissors, but I never suffer them to be apphed to the 
fetlocks. Your horses, I see, are not disfigm-ed with any 
long hairs (this much, at least, being accomphshed by 
blood). Those that have these unsightly appendages had 
better retain them. No amount of clipping or shearing 
will give them a high-bred look, and it certainly increases 
the danger of cracked heels. The mane neatly braided 
and tied up with ribbons, a clean well poHshed harness 
and vehicle, when a horse is going into a race, looks well, 
and is due your own character for care, and gratifies the 
spectators. A horse that comes on the track neither too 
high or low in flesh, a blooming coat, bright eye, and 
elastic step, needs very little aid of a decorative character 
to attract admiration. 

Pupil. — I thank you for the hint to scan closely the 
reasons for a distinctive plan in the training of trotters. 
I heartily coincide in the idea that our education only 
begins when we think for ourselves, in heu of the teacher 
finding all the brains. I shall leave the answering of 
your remarks about my predilection for blood, till I re- 
sume the history of the breeding farm, only begging jour 
leave to call attention to the well-authenticated fact of a 
black sow making a famous pointer, showing all the en- 
thusiam for the sport of the best trained dog, and when 
her owner would not go to the field, traveling several 



MINOR DUTIES OF THE STABLE. 117 

miles to the house of his brother, knowing he would ac- 
company her. 

Careful attention to the minor duties of the stable is 
very material, and one of the most diiEcult things for me 
to find are grooms that will attend to them. " Order is 
everything " in all kinds of business, and nowhere more 
important than in the training stable. Sobriety cannot 
be expected of the men if the trainer himself di'inks too 
much ; and it would be an insuperable objection with me 
to place horses in the hands of a man who ever got drunk. 
The results of one spree might do more harm than a 
year's careful handling had done good. Inciting a taste 
for reading in those who have the care of horses is one of 
the most effective ways of making valuable men. Ideas 
are fastened on the mind while pondering over the viev/s 
of others, as expressed in writing, that are more difficult 
to obliterate than if received orally. We read and com- 
pare with our own views, either eradicating erroneous 
impressions, or strengthening those that were correct. I 
am very glad that you are going to make the subject of 
sweating one of major importance. The little knowledge 
I possess of training horses has been acquired more by 
reading and study than observing others. It is true I 
have watched those who were in liigh repute as masters of 
the art, but have often failed to see the force of the plan 
they were pursuing, and no part of the system has been 
so bhnd to me as " the scrapes " they gave their horses. 
I have seen them put blankets on a horse every day for 
two weeks, without j^reparation or after care, thus nega- 
tiving the benefit derived from the flow of the fluids. 

Those who train race horses have to be in a manner 
proficient, as the best race horse in the world is easily 
beaten if he falls much short of the mark in condition. 
With the trotting horse, while it is more of a science to 
overcome natiu'al bias, keeping a horse in the excitement 



118 HOESE POKTRAITURE. 

of a hotlj contested race at a pace that he knows is not 
his fastest, still the want of condition is not so apparent, 
and a horse will make a very creditable performance 
trotting, when one in the same condition would fall im- 
measurably short of his true form on the racing turf. 
My idea is, that horses are oftener got out of condition 
from injudicious sweating than all other causes combined; 
and it certainly devolves on any one who intends to prepare 
horses for fast work to master this part of the subject, 
and become as familiar with the necessity for sweating 
and the effects of it as patient study and thought will 

permit. 

Preceptor. — AU fast work has a sudorific tendency, 
which can be either augmented or diminished by means 
within our reach. A horse that does not sweat after suf- 
cient exercise is in a very bad phght, as much as those 
that perspire very freely with little exertion. One is said 
to be burned or baked, the other washy. I can only say 
that I am pleased that you reahze the importance of this 
part of training, and shall look for mutual benefit when 
we come to discuss it. The morning has so far been pro- 
fitably occupied with the shoeing and stable arrangements, 
we will now go to dinner, and while we enjoy the repose 
of our usual post-meridian smoke, I will listen to the 
continuation of the breeding department, and will give 
you a history of how I became a " ti'otting trainer." I 
have neglected mentioning a very dangerous instrument 
we left hanging so quietly on a hook, — one that we cannot 
possibly get along without ; and as it is too late at present 
to give it the attention its merits and demerits deserve, I 
will postpone the subject till your horses require its use, 
which I hope will not be the case till we prepare them for 
their first sweat, unless there happen to be a gross feeder 
among them. I aUude to the muzzle. 



CHAPTEE IX. 

A backwoodsman's STOKY — THE BKEEDING FARM — ^FEEDrNO — 
LONGEVITY — TKAINING-STABLES, &C. 

Preceptor. — How much the welfare of manliind de- 
pends on trifles, has been illustrated by Napoleon's losing 
a battle in consequence of an indigestion. The " Napo- 
leon of the turf " was unable to manage the race between 
Eclipse and Henry on account of a lobster supper eaten the 
night before. Many confidently gave this as the reason 
why Plenry was beaten. Men disUke to acknowledge their 
favorite has been conquered by meeting a superior horse, 
and ransack their brains for excuses, rather than admit 
the fact, apparent to an unprejudiced observer. We wiU 
have to be gluttons indeed if the food prepared for us here 
does any injmy. The excellent cooking gratifies the pal- 
ate, and preserves all nutritive qualities of the food. 

There is no one who despises more heartily than I do 
.he man who lives only to eat, who is only gratified by 
the sensuous delights of the table, and is unhappy himself 
and disagreeable to others, when some dish he delights in 
is omitted, or falls short of the standard of perfection of 
which he is a good judge. While I contemn the epicure, 
I pity the man who does not care what he eats so long as 
hunger is appeased. He goes through the world deprived 
of one of the means of enjoyment as much as if he had 
lost the sense of hearing, though not in so great a degree. 
You have one thing to-day for dinner, speckled trout, that 
is the choicest of all food to me, save fruit. — ^I will have 



120 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

to j^lace a ciu'b on my desire, or I will certainly do myself 
injury by eating too many. 

Pupil. — You need not fear any injurious effects if you 
should gorge yourself with them, unless the mode of 
cooking give qualities not possessed when made edible 
by the simple plan I have followed in the woods. Veni- 
son and brook trout I have known men eat to repletion 
without the least inconvenience, save that of the skin being 
too tight to hold the supplies comfortably. The prepara- 
tion was very simple : they were broiled on the coals under 
the drippings of a small piece of salt pork. "Whenever I 
started for a trip in the woods, I engaged a man to hunt, 
fish, and superintend the preparation of the camp. One 
thus employed was an old hunter by the name of Kepler. 
He owned a farm and saw-mill on the bank of the "West 
Branch of he Susquehanna river, yet seemed delighted 
to embrace the opportunity of joining our expedition. 

He was a very successful hunter, and the first night of 
our stay in the woods he brought in a deer that would 
dress from sixty to eight}'- pounds. Nine men completely 
demolished it before we left the camping grounds the next 
morning. Some were roasting tit-bits nearly all night. 
1 had eaten heartily, and was lying on the bed of hemlock 
boughs, enjoying the quiet solace of the pij)e. Kepler 
was telling hunting stories, and had an attentive audienci 
in the members of the corps. To most of them forest 
life was a novelty, and the tales were listened to with as 
much avidity as they had devoured the venison. One of 
the stories appeared to me highly dramatic, especially 
as the scene was located near our pixseut camp, and in 
the earnest manner it was related by the old hnnter, the 
truth was guaranteed. With your permission, I will re- 
peat it, without expecting it will strike you as forcibly as 
it did me. 

Peeceptoe. — I shall be delighted to hear it. Hunting 



THE backwoodsman's STORY. 121 

stories were always favorites of mine, and we are in no 
hurry to get througli our meal, having plenty of time that 
cannot be more profitably employed than eating leisurely, 
thereby making viigestion easier. When I have a horse 
that bolts his feed, as if he were afraid of losing his oats 
before he could eat them, I always place a large straight 
bit in his mouth, which compels him to better mastication. 
When I am too much huri'ied, I postpone eating till the 
hui-ry is past. 

Pupn,. — Here goes, then, for 

KEPLER'S STORY. 

" Fifteen years ago this fall, five on us started out on a 
bar hunt, and we fixed our camp a little lower on the crick. 
While we wur makin' our cabin, Sam Kurtz, one of our 
best hunters, said he would go up the hill and kill a ven- 
zon, that we might have something fresh for our first sup- 
per. Sun was near about an hour high, and it wau't long 
till we heerd the crack o' Sam's rifle. By-and-bye we 
heered it agin, and we wondered some, as we knew he 
never missed, and one blue coat was all Ave wanted at a 
time. We kept busy on our work, lookin' every ininnit 
for Sam to come in with his deer, as it was only a little 
way off where he shot. Not comin' we hollod, but couldn't 
get eny answer'. This kind o' skeerd me, and I was afraid 
something had happened. I jest told the other thi*ee to 
keep on, I'd go and help him to bring in the meat. I 
shouldered my rifle and started for where I heerd the 
shots. Afore long, I struck his track and followed it up 
the brow of the hill. Directly I found a young painter 
cub shot right through and through ; he laid in a Uttle 
thicket of beech staddles, and right on t'other side of it 
there laid another. This made me step mighty keerful 
and look well to the priming of my rifle. Pretty quick I 



122 HORSE PORTEAITUBE. 

heern a purrin kind of a noise, and looking up saw a sight 
that raised every hair on end and set my heart thumpin' 
as it would break throug my wawmus. In the crotch of 
a big white-oak that leaned a Httle kj,terin to me, sat a 
big painter right straddle o' poor Sam, and I knew by 
the Hmsey way he hung it was all day with him. The 
second look set my blood boilin ', and every cord in me 
was as stiff as steel. I cocked my gun — didn't look for 
nary rest — and drew a fine bead right atween the critter's 
eyes. I saw by the whippin' o' her tail that she was not 
satisfied with what she had done, but wanted more blood. 
I drew a long breath and puUed trigger ; down she came, 
falling within ten steps of me, and the way she made the 
leaves fly was awful. Sam laid there, — he had got wedged 
into the fork so hard that the painter faUing didn't dis- 
lodge him. I hollod like mad, and heerd them answer 
me from the cabin. When thej came up I couldn't say a 
word, but pointed to the tree. They looked at Sam and 
then at the painter, and their looks told me they undei-- 
stood it all. How to get him down was the trouble, as 
we didn't want to fall the tree for fear of jammin' him ; 
so, after a good deal of bother, I climbed up to where he 
was, and stannin' on a limb, hoisted him on to his feet. 
The whole back of his head was crushed where the var- 
mint had bit him. I took the belts o' my huntin' pouch 
and his'n, and puttin' them under his arms buckled it 
crisscross of my shoulders so that he was right agin' my 
back. ' Twas a queer feelin' that ran through me as his 
weight came on me when I started to come down the tree ; 
but I knew Sam would have done as much for me, so I 
didn't mind it more than he had bin alive. We took some 
of the staddles, laid him across them and carried him to 
the camp. I tell you, boys, there was no supper eat that 
night, an' if there was a man lying here now who'd been 
killed by a painter, you wouldn't be toastin' bits o' deer- 



FATE OF THE PANTHER-HUKTER. 123 

meat on a stick. Next morning I skinned lier, and we 
stretched the skin on two poles and laid on it all was left 
of the best hunter from Lockhaveu to the mouth of the 
Sinnemahoning, a man as true as the rifle he carried, 
never missed fire or took the back track of fi-iend or foe. 
We followed the branch to where it jined Shintown run, 
and then crossed the pints and over the edge of the 
mountain home. The bad news spread quick, and afore 
long the whole settlement was at my house. I took the 
painter-skin for a shroud, wrappin him in it and puttin 
him in the coffin, laid his rifle and huntin' knife on the 
top of it, and buried him under the big tree on the bank 
of the river. I had no more heart for huntin' that fall, 
though the bar war very thick, but just tinkered round 
the mill an' helped the boys get out lumber. But lots o' 
times since, when lying in the woods alone, I have seen 
Sam hanging so limber hke in the big white-oak." 

Every one was still at the conclusion of this story, and 
nothing was heard but the dash of the waters and the 
miu'murs of the tree-tops. Having no inclination to sleep, 
I refilled and ht my pipe, Ustening to the music of the 
water and the song of the wind drawing through the ra- 
vine, making -Sjohan harps of the twigs, and singing 
a grander requiem for Sam Kurtz than ever echoed 
through vaulted cathedral for mighty conqueror or re- 
nowned statesman. 

Peeceptob. — I should not have slept any sounder for 
being in the neighborhood of such lurking " varmints." 
As there are a couple of hours before we revisit the barn, 
we will adjourn to the piazza, and I will listen to your 
continuation of the breeding farm. I will have to retract 
my promise of giving you so much of my history as re- 
lates to my adopting the profession of driving trotters, 
postponing it to a future period, as I am not at present 
in the humor. You can rejoice over escaping the in- 



124 HORSE PORTEAITUEE. 

fliction at present, as I shall have many a long story to 
tell before the summer is ended. 

Pupil. — ^In place of rejoicing, I will lament that y6u 
have resolved to postpone the relation, having a good deal 
of anxiety to learn the reason why you forsook the grace- 
ful gallop of the young thoroughbred — the very poetry 
of motion — for the rougher gait of the trotter. I shall 
resume my own history with pleasure, as I hope soon 
to convince you of the points where, as the lawyers say, 
we "join issue," — ^the profit of raising thoroughbreds for 
trotters, and faihng that, the finest carriage horses in the 
world. I left off with the first colts a year old, fields laid 
out, paddocks and barns built, but with neither track nor 
training stables erected. We will first put our yearlings 
in a suitable pasture and then build the stables and track. 
The field selected is one lying on the side of the bluff, 
where the herbage is the shortest. This is chosen for the 
reason that we want their supply of food to be mainly 
gTain, as tending to form more muscle and tendon, and a 
denser, finer bone, than if hving on succulent food. They 
are fed regailarly twice a day, three quarts apiece in the 
morning of oats, and in the evening six or eight ears of 
sound corn. The slope of the bluff is quite at a sharp 
angle from the level field at the foot of it, in many places 
steep, with patches of hazel bushes along the hill-side. 
The frolicsome Si^ii-it of the colts leads them to gambol 
up and athwart the hill, leaping the smaller clumps of 
bushes, and bi-inging every muscle into full play. They 
are salted twice a week, at which time the halters are put 
on and their feet examined, to see that the horn is not 
breaking away unequally. There being no stones to wear 
the hoof, it requires more care than it otherwise would, 
and we will have to cut away the extra supj^ly that threat- 
ens to give a wrong set to the pastern. Should they not 
keep in as good order as we would like, the grain must 



LONGEVITY OF THE THOROUGHBRED. 125 

be increased. The prejudice existing here against using 
corn as food for horses may have arisen from good 
causes, as there is a vast difference betAveen the flint vari- 
eties, and the larger, softer grain grown at the South and 
West. I am well satisfied that good horses can be reared 
on dent corn, having seen many that were called on to go 
both " fast and far " that never were fed a pound of any 
other kind of grain. Still my plan would be to feed a 
variety ; and as all kinds can be grown in Iowa with a 
tithe of the labor bestowed in the East, we need not re- 
strict themio either corn or oats. With one of the two 
horse corn-plows, now in general use, one man and a 
pair of horses can plant and cultivate in the best manner 
eighty acres of corn. 

I find there is also a belief here — sanctioned by the 
writings of a man who has long stood at the head of 
the hst as a driver of trotters — that feeding grain as prac- 
ticed by the best feeders of racing colts is detrimental. 

In proof of which, the withdrawal of horses from the 
running turf, when comparatively young, is instanced, 
claiming that, because they come to maturity earlier, they 
will likewise sooner decay. This is not in accordance 
with proof from the record, which will distinctly show 
that the thoroughbred lives longer than members of any 
other family of the equine sj^ecies, owing to an inherent 
heartiness of constitution, and the care taken to nurture 
him well when young. I remember taking from the old 
Turf Register of 183-, the first twenty names from an 
obituary hst of blood stallions. Their average age was 
twenty-two years. In the same magazine, there was a 
history of American Eclipse from the pen of his breeder. 
He gave the amount of grain he was fed daily from the 
time of weanmg till he v/as put in train, an it it was a very 
liberal allowance. As he lived to nearly forty years, it 
will not require long arguments to show th^l tl:a feed did 

6* 



126 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

not shorten his days. It would be tedious to follow the 
record, although those familiar with the celebrities of the 
turf that have figured within the present century, will 
agree with me when I assert that a majority of them have 
lived to old age. It would be an idle waste of time for 
me to tell you the reasons for horses leaving the turf when 
young, being better informed on that point than I am. I 
will advance an idea, however, feehng confident of main- 
taining it with proofs of the most irrefragible kind, — that 
no thoroughbred colt, even if put to trotting work when 
two years old, will ever be injured unless the exercise ia 
prolonged to an extent that would kill two or three dung- 
hills. When two-year-olds wiU stand the necessary train- 
ing to run a dash of a mile in 1 :50 or less, there need not 
be much ajoprehension of hurting them with trotting work, 
unless pounded to pieces on a hard track. Take an aged 
horse, of some of the breeds in vogue for trotting, one 
that has speed enough to run at the rate of a mile in that 
time, and before his trainer could get the leng-th in him 
by sufficient work, his machinery would be worn out, and 
still this animal might stand a preparation to trot mile 
heats, 3 in 5, if he ever had the foot, to place them " low 
down in the thirties." I hope yet to see a thoroughbred 
that will be able to speed with Dexter, "Wilkes, or Toronto 
Chief, for a quarter of a mile, and you will see a trotter 
that will finish a race and make play of it. Why, he 
woiild bowl along the home stretch of a seventh heat as 
if he were at exercise. I do not intend to imply injustice 
to the hero of the fastest time on record. Nothing but 
the good blood derived from the patriarchs. Sir Archy 
and Messenger, ever enabled him to do the deed ; and if 
the rest of the vital fluid that courses through his veins, 
were of the same Stirling kind, the wonderful flight of the 
first half-mile would have been kept up to the end, and a 



ENGLISH AND AMERICAN COLTS. 127 

mart left that no part-bred horse might ever expect to 
excel. 

Pkeceptor. — ^I must call your attention to one fact that 
will upset all your arguments, " that none but the thor- 
oughbred does it quite well," as Fanny Kemble said. The 
fastest Cesarewitch ever ran was won by Mr. Sykes (half- 
bred), in 1855. He was five years old, and carried ninety- 
two pounds, running the two miles two furlongs and 
twenty-eight yards, in 3:55=to a mile in 1:43|. Prioress, 
a year younger, and carrying one pound more weight, was 
4:09 in running the dead heat, and 4:07 the deciding one. 
So the half-bred Mr. Sykes must have run a quarter horse 
cUp, and kept it up for over two miles and a quarter. 
Should not Dexter — ^having at least as much blood as that 
— keep up his rate of going for a mile, as well as one with 
a pedigree as clear as the Moon of the Mountain? 

Pupil. — ^You have lost sight of an important fact in the 
case of Mr. Sykes. The EngHsh call a horse half-bred if 
he has only one part in sixty-four of other blood. Not 
knowing the pedigTee of the horse, only that he was got 
by a St. Leger winner, Sir Tatton Sykes, I am unable to 
say how much blood he possessed. Yet it was a wonder- 
ful performance, even for a thoroughbred. The Enghsh 
system of raising colts is still more on the forcing plan 
than is followed in this country, adhering to the York- 
shire motto, "that half a horse goes down his throat." 
A.n eminent American breeder thus writes from Doncaster, 
in 1840, to the Old Spirit : " The first striking difference 
which presented itself between these and American bred 
horses, of corresponding ages, was the size of the Enghsh 
horses. I think I saw foals eight months old as large 
as our yearlings, yearlings as large as our two-year-olds, 
and two-year-old colts as large as our three-year-olds. I 
was much astonished to find that colts a few months old 
had shoes on, and gave evidence of having been care- 



128 HORSE P.OETRAITURE. 

fully groomed from the time tbey were old enough to bear 
this attention. Whilst I could not withhold the expression 
of my astonishment at the extraordinary size of the colts 
and filhes, there was but one in this number that ehcited 
anything like surprise from any EngHshman present, and 
this was a brown yearhng called Artful Dodger, whose 
pedigTee I have forgotten. But for this I should have 
supposed the largest and choicest colts had been selected 
from each stud for sale." The record of imported horses 
that have been reared in a manner to gain a year in size 
at two years old, will show that their lives have been pro- 
longed beyond the usual term of horse life. Le-\d.athan, 
Priam, Trustee, Koman, Sovereign, Glencoe, &c., &c., are 
proofs of the truth of this statement. 

I may be wrong, thinking that part-bred horses are not 
able to keep up great trotting speed for even a mile ; or 
rather that when the trot becomes almost as speedy as 
the run, none but the purest will be likely to do it 
without great fatigue. I have seen a horse that could trot 
a quarter of a mile in 31 seconds, the half-mile in 
1 : 05, but could not trot the heat in 2 : 35, to save his 
worthless hfe. Now a blood horse that could go the fii'st 
quarter in 31 seconds would trot the mile in 2 :05, as far 
as tiring is concerned. He might be unsteady and frac- 
tious, but if such a horse as the one mentioned, if he did 
not break in his last quarter, would be as good or better 
than in the first. 

Preceptor. — I will certainly not argue that colts, if al- 
lowed room to exercise, can be fed too much grain, as I 
am satisfied the best horses, and those likely to live the 
longest, are reared in this way. As to the withdrawal of 
them from the ttu'f when four or five years old, the 
reasons are patent to any one at all acquainted with 
racing. Inability to carry the scale of weights, as now 
regulated, is one of the most fruitful sources. Those that 



BETSEY MA LONE AND CHAEMER. 129 

have been well fed. vvheii young are far more certain to 
have the stamina to do this than others not so fortunate 
in their breeding. Neither will I contend against your 
claiming so much for the thoroughbred. But you, just 
as certainly, will not acknowledge the mei'its of those 
which have half or more of the same blood. Half or three- 
quarter bred horses for trotting, answer every purpose as 
well as if they had the fuU modicum necessary to remove 
the h. b. stain in the Enghsh Stud Book. Not only trot- 
ters, but some of the very best racers, could not boast 
of more. Look at old Betsey Malone, the "traveling 
terror," never losing a race but when she fell down, win- 
ning twenty-one in succession, at all distances, leaving 
the turf when five years old, from an accident that re- 
sulted in blindness. 

Her daughter. Charmer, winning sixteen three-mile 
races, emulating her mother by never losing one at this 
distance, and in the aggregate number, recording nearly 
double as many as any of her illustrious sire's get, never 
handing in her checks till ten years old — her valedictory 
a second four mile heat in 7 :43i. The first named mare, 
by Stockholder, dam by Potomac, with the Glencoe 
added in her nearly as celebrated daughter, is not a very 
extensive pedigree, and has one advantage of not requir- 
ing a horse memory, like that of Dr. Weldon, to remem- 
ber it. 

Pupil. — I have not succeeded in making myself under- 
stood, as I never intended to take away any of the well 
merited honors won by the part-bred heroes and heroines. 
Yet, I fully believe the better bred the horse, the better 
performer he will be at anything requiring speed, and 
will fortify myself with illustrations that are not remem- 
bered quite as clearly as I would like to have them, before 
adducing them as proof. Betsy Malone, I am in hopes, 
will be rescued from the obloquy that has always rested 



130 



HORSE PORTRAITURE 



on her and her descendants. I am informed by a friend, 
that he had made a discovery that her grandam was by 
imported Diomed, and the only flaw was that derived 
from the Potomac strain. 

I will now proceed to build my training-stable ; hoping 
from youi* kind promise, that, if the fitting-up is different 
from what you would recommend, you will inform me. 
The location I have chosen is where the trees flank the 







WALK. 






< 


STALLS 
8x14 feet. 


12 

< 


STALLS 
8x14 feet. 


^ 
< 

^ 










































WALK. 







60 feet. 



TRAINING-STABLE. 131 

house to the north-east, and under their shelter. There 
is a httle knoll there that will give perfect drainage, and 
the track will approach within one hundred yards. Twenty 
stalls will be as many as we wiU need for a time, and the 
form is such that they can be added, without detriment to 
comfort or appearance. 

I have drawn a rough sketch of the ground floor, which 
will aid me in making my ideas intelHgible. The whole 
area enclosed is sixty by a hundred feet. Of this space 
ten feet in width is taken up for a walk, the benefits of 
which will readily be seen. By having this walk sheltered 
fi'om storms we never miss the advantage of having the 
horses exercised, no matter how bad the weather is ; and 
in this northern latitude, by having it well littered with 
straw, we can gain a month in preparing the horses, 
equalizing our chance in the spring races with those living 
farther South. The outer wall is so arranged that there 
are large openings to both doors and windows; hence, 
when the weather requires it, there can be as free a circu- 
lation of air as if entirely open. The height of this story 
is ten feet, with the same distance to the plate, making 
the post twenty feet high. There is a double row of box 
stalls, with an alley between twelve feet wide ; each stall 
is 8x14 feet, sealed with matched boards, presenting 
a uniform smooth surface. Well seasoned black walnut 
is the material used, which can be got in this section of 
Iowa nearly as cheap as pine. There are two doors in 
each stall, one opening to the walk, the other to the alley. 
There are openings for ventilation at the top of the stall, 
with others at the base to pass off the heavy, impure 
air, that otherwise would not escape when the door is 
closed. The feed boxes are arranged in one corner of 
the stall, shding through a place cut in the wall, and 
when not in use are left projecting into the alley. The 
hay is fed by placing it on the straw forming the bedding, 



132 HORSE POETRAITUuE. 

SO tlia,t tlie horse lias nothing in the way to injure him- 
self. Should he want to roll, there is plenty of room for 
him to do so, and it is impossible to get himself in a po- 
sition where he will be hurt. There are, of course, no 
halters used, as that would negative the benefit of our 
boxes, and reduce them to the level of a space six feet by 
ten. The window is at the top of the stall, and the doors 
are divided so that the upper portion can be left open 
when desired. The whole of the feeding and bedding is 
supplied from the alley. The hay, straw, and feed, are 
stored in the upper story. There are spouts that bring 
the oats and cracked corn into receptacles convenient to 
the feed boxes, and shutes to slide the hay and straw where 
it is required. There are staii-s that can be slung to the 
joists overhead when needed to be oiit of the way, as we 
drive the wagons loaded with grain through the alley, 
and discharge the load, by the help of a block and tackle, 
into the bins overhead. This upper story can be divided 
so as to meet our wants. Upwards of one hundred 
thousand cubic feet from the floor to the ridge-pole is 
accommodation sufficient ; and after storing all the hay 
and straw required for the season's use, we have plenty of 
room left for grain bins, harness room, sleeping apart- 
ments, &c. The foreman's room should be large and 
nicely fitted up, adorned with prints of the most cele- 
brated horses, and plenty of books and papers to foster 
the love of reading, which you and every one who has 
tried it with the boys, have found so advantageous. As 
more room is needed, it can be added by merely making 
the building longer. 

Pkeceptoe. — Your stable is a novelty to me, and before 
I condemn it, I will have to follow your plan of studying 
the record to adduce proof that it might be bettered. It 
covers a good deal of ground to get twenty stalls, but has 
advantages that will probably overbalance the added 



MATERIAL FOR STABLE. 133 

expense. You will need more room on your farm than 
would be required if the grain, straw, and hay, had to be 
purchased, as you will haul dii-ectly from the field, and 
will save re-handling- by having storage enough for a 
season's supply. A very convenient stable of six or eight 
stalls can be buUt on the octagonal plan, and some day 
I will show you a drawing a friend gave me, which I think 
is very good. 

I have thought that, on a farm where the material would 
be convenient, concrete could be used, securing a cheaper 
building than stone, brick, or wood. The material you 
would use in the construction of yours, you have said 
nothing about. I presume it would be a frame. 

Pupil. — I would build the outside walls of the yellow 
lime-stone, a quarry being opened at only a short distance to 
obtain the stone the house was built with. A wall eighteen 
inches thick would require five hundred perch, and can 
be built there for $1,500. By using the teams and men 
employed on the farm, and burning the lime on the place, 
the cost would be greatly reduced. The interior should 
be after the plan of framing at first termed in derision 
"balloon," but which has taken the place of the heavy 
timber once in vogue. By using stone for the exterior, 
the building will not only be far more permanent, but the 
expense of paint is done away with, and a more agreeable 
temperament is secm-ed. The only drawback is that it 
would interfere with making more room, if required. 

Pkeceptor. — The dampness consequent on the use of 
stone would be obviated by the walking-space between 
the walls and the stable jjroper ; and when it can be built 
as cheaply as $12 for a hundred cubic feet, I can see no 
good reason for .not using it. As to the want of room, 
the twenty stalls will probably be all you will need for a 
long while, unless the proportion of trotters among 
your thoroughbreds is far greater than I expect. I sup- 



134 HORSE PORTEAITUEE. 

pose those looked for to make the finest of carriage 
horses would do to have their quarters assigned them in 
the boxes vacated by the brood mares. 

Pupil. — It is very true that the room in the training- 
stable is only intended for those we hope to dignify with 
the name of trotters. The proportion can only be found 
as the man was going to discover the race horse, by 
" sarching." 

I am glad that you have placed yourself in a position 
at the outset to admit that there is a Hkelihood of once 
in a while getting a trotter from the source I have such 
great expectations from, as I have found plenty of men 
who were so bitterly jealous of the praises awarded the 
thoroughbred, that they could not bring themselves to 
acknowledge there was any good in them ; foohshly think- 
ing the merit admitted would detract from the fame of 
other breeds in which they had some interest. 

The prices that are now paid for styhsh, good-sized car- 
riage horses would warrant the outlay I have contemplated 
in the purchase, stock, and fitting-up of this breeding 
farm, even if we never produced a fast trotter. I look to 
these, as a means to compensate us, as much as to those 
with the more attractive quaHty of speed; there being a 
good deal less outlay in fitting carriage-horses for market. 
I have not time for the disquisition now, and will also 
have to put off building the track, as I have already taken 
up the allotted time. 



CHAPTEE X. 

COLTS IN THE FIESr STAGK OP PRBPAHATION — ^KOUTINE OF 
WALKING, FEEDING &C. 

Peeceptob. — We will now proceed to the stable, and see 
tlie horses take their evening walk. It has always been a 
pleasant scene for me to observe them performing this 
very necessary exercise. How gaily the young things 
move along ! Their joints and tendons are as pliant as 
those of a deer; yet a few years of usage will make them 
lounge in their movement as well as the veterans. 

Have one of the boys lead out Clipper, to pick the grass 
and gnaw the ground, which will assist the aperient me- 
dicine we are giving. It would have been well during the 
winter to have applied a light blister to fine down the 
extra tissue that has been formed so long. As it would 
be too great an inroad on the time now allotted to bring 
him in condition, we will have to adopt a plan that may 
answer, but not with the cei'tainty of a vesicant. To the al- 
terative medicine we vsdll add daily doses of iodine in small 
amounts, say five grains, which will act as a glandular 
excitant, and aid the local treatment, consisting of poul- 
ticing with hot water, and applying dry bandages over 
the wet sponges, gradually drawing them tighter to assist 
the absorbent vessels in taking up the extraneous morbid 
matter, and removing it fi'om the system. 

Blistering, a remedial agent of vast power, has fallen 
into disrepute from the empiricism of those who have ap- 
plied it, right or wrong. The legs of this horse would 



136 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

have been very much benefited by the application of an 
irritant, as nothing would be so likely to restore the skin 
to its proper functions. It now has an unnatural close- 
ness and tenseness, arising from the adhesion of parts 
underneath, caused by a deposit in the interstices, the 
effects of acute inflammation at some previous period. 
The emollient tendency of the hot water may relieve this, 
and the treatment will be such as to render the cure of 
the running thrush a work of some little duration. We 
would defeat the end we have in view, were we to stoj) 
the offensive discharge from the frog, before the system is 
relieved fi'om the taint which causes the disease. 

The walk your horses had before leaving home will 
shorten the tirae required now in fitting them to enter 
the second stage of the preparation. In my remarks on 
walking, while we were going to the smith's shop, I left 
much unsaid that ought to be fully understood at this 
stage of the training, and while reprobating the practice 
predominant many years ago, of walking horses too much, 
think it very essential that a proper time should elapse 
before they are called on to "jog." We will find a great 
difference in the amount of work even members of the 
same family are able to stand ; still, there will be less 
variation in the time allotted for walking than when the 
gait is faster ; that is, the walking given in this prelimi- 
nary stage. As we progress, and it becomes an adjunct 
to the trotting, we may find a great dissimilarity in the 
members of your stable. Now, we will walk them all, 
with the exception of Clipper and King, two hours and a 
half in the morning, and one and a half in the evening. 
The old members of jour horse family we assume to have 
acquired the step necessary for fast trotting. The essen- 
tials with them, then, is to obtain condition, and forget 
bad habits. We shall be fortunate if we have them in 
proper order for a race in three months. This, therefore, 



DIRECTIONS FOE WALKING. 137 

will be the shortest time to which we will limit ourselves. 
We will divide the preparation into three stages — the first 
occupied with easy work ; the second, somewhat faster, 
called jogging; and the third, calling at stated intervals 
for as high a rate of continued speed as the animal is 
capable of showing. In these three divisions, or stages 
of 2)reparation, we will have to vary the feed as well as 
the amount of work. They are now eating, on an average, 
eight quarts of oats each, with as much hny as can be 
eaten heartily. As we proceed, we will not only have to 
increase the amount of oats, but will have to add hominy 
or corn, which my experience has taught me as being 
needful to keep up the stamina of a horse, called on for 
severe muscular exertion. The first stage will now merit 
all our attention, and the plan we will adopt wiU be the 
following : At five o'clock, we will expect the boys to 
open the stable, give the horses a few swallows of water, 
and their first feed, two quarts of oats. When eating this, 
the bed to be shaken up, and all soiled j)ortions and drop- 
pings throwTi out. After this is done, a careful light dress- 
ing, when the clothes are replaced, and the boys go to 
their breakfast, having tied the horses' heads up, so that 
they cannot reach the litter. The breakfast finished, the 
string will go to the walking ground at seven o'clock, 
where they will walk at an easy, natural pace till half- 
past nine. They must be kept some little distance apart, 
and when one stops to empty, the others must wait till he 
moves. When brought to the stable, a light brushing and 
whisping is gone through with, a bucketful of water 
given, two more quarts of oats, and four or five pounds 
of hay. The litter forming the bed is arranged, the stable 
locked up, and they are left undisturbed till three o'clock, 
when the next feeding time comes. This feed consists of 
three pints of oats, followed by a Httle water, after which 
they walk for an hour and a half, return to the stable, are 



138 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

thoroughly cleaned, dressed, their feet ]picked out, the 
sole and horn washed, and their legs lightly hand-rubbed, 
followed by their bed being properly arranged. At seven 
o'clock they must have their full supply of water, the 
balance of their daily quantity of oats, and about six 
pounds of hay ; after which the stable must be closed, not 
to be entered, unless some accident occurs, until the fol- 
lowing morning. 

The walk is commenced in the small yard adjoining the 
stable, that a little of the eshuberance of animal spirits 
may be worn away before going into the field, where the 
increased space may tempt the colts into a frohc. "VMien 
this walking has been prolonged to a suitable length of 
time the muscles will have acquired some firmness, the 
joints set, and the whole economy of the fi'ame in a po- 
sition to undergo the second stage with increased advan- 
tage. The training of race horses, while it necessitates 
more care to bring them to the post in proper condition, 
has the advantage of the distance being regulated to what 
the trainer thinks is right. With trotters, after leaving 
the slow and medium work, we cannot exactly foretell 
what the distance will be. The brush that was only in- 
tended to have been of a quarter or half a mile, ha 3 been 
changed by the horse acting badly, so that, in order to 
give a lesson in breaking, the work has been prolonged 
more than was anticipated. Hence it is good poHcy to 
have the animal doing rather below the mean, so that the 
lengthened exercise his temper obhgates will not be det- 
rimental. Your rough-coated favorite, King, not being 
amenable to ordinary laws, will not, I suppose, deign to 
walk in company with any of the others. I hardly know 
what shall be done with him. 

Pupil. — My high bred protege has lately given an ink- 
ling of making a companion of Oriole, in the absence of 
his mother, and I think I can teach him to take his wali 



PERSIST A NCE IN TRAINING COLTS. 139 

in her company. I will first put the long rein on him, 
so that he can follow in the rear, till the novelty of the 
situation is gone, when I imagine he will not trouble us 
in this particular. Your former remark, that patience 
is everything in the formation of trotters, is doubtless 
correct, and must be accepted as an axiom by those who 
would be successful in teaching young roadsters how to 
trot. You cannot look for them to "keep pace with our 
expectancy, and fly," unless we are reasonable enough not 
to look for the acquirement of sj)eed till they have a fair 
chance of showing it, after years of patient teaching. It 
requires a good deal of enthusiasm for the business to 
make trotters of colts, and no one will be highly success- 
ful who has not a great fondness for them. They are very 
trying to the temper at times, and it is of the first im- 
portance that we should school ourselves never to show 
the rufiling. Neither must we be discouraged by the jeers 
of others, "that we are throwing our time away in at- 
tempting to make something of a brute that never will go 
fast enough to carry the mail." "Once upon a time," at a 
quarter race, I saw two men strip to fight out some 
grudge that had culminated in the excitement attend- 
ing on the running. One was a big, brawny six-footer, 
called Barney : his opponent, a much smaller man, yclept 
Sam. The feelings of the assemblage ran very strongly 
in favor of the larger, and whenever he hit a telling blow, 
he was cheered on, "Now you have got him, Barney," 
" Hurrah for Barney ! " " He's nearly licked," with nume- 
rous phrases calculated to keep up his spirits. But Sam 
was a nervous, wiry fellow, and needed a good deal of 
" punishment " to cook his gruel ; and, notwithstanding 
the shouts of encouragement to Barney, he finally came 
out conqueror, the big fellow having to be carried to a 
neighbor's house, where he did not get out of bed for 
several days. On congratulating Sam on his victory, 



140 HOESE PORTEAITURE. 

whicli for a long while looked so hopeless, he told me 
that several times he was on the point of "hollering 
enough," and if the crowd had been equally divided in 
their expression of sympathy, he would have done so, but 
he was not going to gratify them, and every time they 
shouted to Barney, a new courage would revive, his f aiHng 
strength would return, and he would determine to die 
rather than yield. This is the spuit to ensure success in 
the handling of colts. I have already signified my ardor 
of temperament for them, provided they have some good 
blood in their veins ; the only thing to rely on when it 
comes to the struggle, like that of the fight at the 
quarter race. The often quoted stanzas from Shakespeare, 
" Touchstone " says, delighted Jno. Scott, the great Eng- 
lish trainer, so much, that he had a copy fi-amed, glazed, 
and hung up in the room for the boys to commit to 
memory, and declared, that with such a horse as there 
described, he could win every Derby and St. Leger. The 
picture shows that at that early day the thoroughbreds 
had their prototype in old England before Arabs or Royal 
mares were introduced. 

"Round-hoofed, short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long; 

Broad breast, full eyes, small head, and nostril wide ; 
High crest, short ears, straight legs and passing strong : 

Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttocks, tender hide, — 
Look, what a horse should have, he did not lack, 
Save a proud rider on so proud a back." 

Nearly three centuries ago this was written, and it would 
be remax'kable indeed if the immortal poet had drawn on 
his fancy for this perfect description of a blood horse, or 
could so faithfully have described one without an intimate 
acquaintance with his points and capabilities. It is claimed 
that on the poet's advent in London, the only means he 
had of gaining a livelihood was holding horses at the door 
of the theatre. This would give him ample opportunity 



"SPEED GIVES BOTTOM." 141 

to study " the well-proportioned steed " lie has so faith- 
fully "limned." I have always a great fancy to see the 
horses walking, and my business must be very pressing if 
I do not watch them through the whole course. Look 
how majestically the Falcon leads the string, and is con- 
tented nowhere only at its head ! " Never Mind " stumbles 
along with that queer gait, placing each foot exactly in 
line, and playing with May every step he takes. I hardly 
ever knew a horse that was so much attached to his com- 
panions. If you }out May in another stall, where she is out 
of his sight, he will mourn until she is returned, refusing 
to feed and drink till her presence gladdens his heart. 
He is one of the horses that will require, in my opinion, 
very httle walk when once put to fast work. His won- 
derful speed will enable him to overcome faulty conform- 
ation, and if brought to the post in the bloom of con- 
dition, shall look for him to hve the race through, if not 
more than two mile heats. 

Peeceptob. — The adage that "speed gives bottom" is 
only true in a relative sense. The possession of speed is 
of com'se the first great consideration to be looked for, 
and it gives an animal possessing it in a degree over an 
• antagonist a superiority that is hard to counterbalance by 
mere endiu"ance, when the race is of the kind now most 
in fashion, — mile heats, best 3 in 5. Shakespeare's de- 
scription would have suited me better if he had not put 
in the short ear and straight leg ; still, it is remarkable 
that he should have given so true a description at a time 
when it was thought there were so few first-class speci- 
mens in Great Britain. There are very strong arguments 
adduced that our present horses are more indebted for 
their preeminence to the Arabian and Barb than any other 
crosses ; but I must say my behef is to the contrary, and 
that the native breed were superior to the animals crossed 
on them. I have read that a brother to the reigning King 

7 



142 HOESE POETRAITUEE. 

of France tried, over two hundred years ago, to get a bill 
through the parliament, which would enable him to ex- 
port mares, but it failed to pass. The privilege that 
would not be granted shows the importance English 
horses had at a time prior to the advent of either the 
Darley or Godolphin Arabians. What a dissimilarity 
there is in the walk of the race horse and the rest of the 
equine family ! He swings along with a low, long step, 
his tail vibrating like the pendulum of a clock, hung care- 
less and loosely, a consciousness of power in all his move- 
ments. 

I will join in your enthusiasm for the royal blood, so 
far as to admit there are no others that can vie with 
them in grace or beauty of form. How often have I ad- 
mired their symmetrical proportions, when I have seen 
them in the first flush of youth stripped to start in a colt 
race ! That is a part of the running usages that might be 
well to adopt with the young trotters, more than is prac- 
ticed now. I mean open stakes for three, four, and five- 
year-olds, and would suggest that the amount should be 
moderate, say two hundred dollars entrance, half forfeit, 
with fifty dollars declaration. Entries to be made a year 
before the race, with the time to declare forfeit extended 
to within three months. This would stimulate breeders 
to increase their endeavors to raise trotting horses, not 
only giving a chance to win a stake that would be worth 
a good deal of money, but would attract purchasers look- 
ing for fast stepping colts ; and any that made a good 
show would find a ready market. People are very much 
afraid of trotting three or four year-colts, and a great 
deal has been written and said about the danger of in- 
juring them at that early period of their lives, by the 
training requisite to make them trot fast enough to be of 
any service. I cannot see that the risk of. injury is so 
very imminent, if they are handled with proper judgment. 



COLTS IN THE FIELD. 148 

and not made to exert themselves to the point of extreme 
exhaustion. One great error is that a hard track is con- 
sidered essential to train a trotter on. . An inch or so of 
loose dirt would lessen the concussion ; and though the 
drag of the wheels would require a little more force to 
overcome the friction, the advantage resulting to the 
limbs would far more than counterbalance this shght evil. 
Pupil. — There is where my favorites would show their 
superiority ; and admitting that they do not acquire the 
trotting step as readily as some others, their stamina 
would warrant them in being worked harder, without en- 
dangering their future welfare. Any one who will take 
the trouble to watch colts, when running in a field, will 
coincide with me in the belief that they take more exer- 
cise of their own accord, than would be sufficient to learn 
to trot and endure the fatigues of a 3 in 5 race. I have 
spoken before of the enjoyment there is in watching a 
lot of colts playing in a field, their manoeuvres being so 
varied that I never tire of observing them. At fii'st they 
will trot oft* in divisions, throwing their heads up, their 
tails, curving over their backs. What a grand quadrille 
they are performing, — now advancing among each other, 
wheeling in circles, and mixing together in seemingly in- 
extricable confusion, yet in harmony with the stately ste]3 
and flashing eye! This is only the prelude. Soon the 
lofty trot gives place to the simultaneous charge, and 
away they go to the extreme range of the inclosure, only 
to rush back with accelerated speed. There is no need 
of whip and spur to stimulate them to their utmost effort : 
every one except the veriest dunghill is emulous to excel ; 
and the most exhilarating "trials of sj)eed" I ever wit- 
nessed have been on the vernal sod of a large pasture 
field. It needs no one to pick out for you the blood in 
these assemblages. A few courses, and some will cry 



144 HOESE POKTKAITUEE. 

enougli, when long afterwards those of pure lineage are 
gamboling with andiminished spirit. 

I shall impatiently wait for the time to come when we 
shall sit under the umbra of the oaks, on the knoll where 
the old stone house is keeping watch and ward over the 
quondam hunting-grounds of the Sioux and Chippewa. 
The placid river looks like an inland sea, the mountain 
snows in the far-off north swelling its waters tiU it is miles 
across. The brilliant foliage of the islands floats on its sur- 
face and is reflected from the flood. The waters extend 
to the very foot of the hills, that looked so hazy and in- 
distinct in the orange light of the Indian Summer. Now 
they appear as if drawn closer, and you can see the white 
farm-houses that nestle on their sides. The yellow lime- 
stone bluffs frown hke giant fortresses, massive and gloomy, 
on the eastern shore ; those on the west glowing in the 
morning sunlight. The blue-grass carpet is fringed with 
the flowering crab-apple, the calm air laden with their 
sweet fi'agrance. The brown tlu'ush and robin are singing 
a duet, and the prairie chickens are cooing their songs of 
love. The colts turned out from the stable are wandering 
hstlessly about, inhahng the perfumed atmosphere, till 
one gives the signal, and away they go. What energy 
and grace of movement ! Their lissome limbs seem en- 
dowed with a spirit that compels them to rush along, ri- 
valing the roar of the avalanche, as they drum music out 
of the springy turf. The play of the muscles is dictinctly 
seen under the pliant skin and silky hair, which takes 
different shades hke the changing hues of the pigeon's 
neck. No matter how long they keep i^p this exciting 
pastime, you will feel disappointed when they cease, and 
hope that after a short respite they will again go on with 
the play. When you see this repeated day after day 
through the whole summer, you will agree with me that 
the work well kept colts take for their own enjoyment is 



COLT-RACES. 145 

more than that which would be necessary to teach them 
to trot, and be in condition sufficient to live through a 
race without injury. One great object to attain in train- 
ing is to have the colts engage in their exercises with the 
same spirit and glee that they join in play; and by watch- 
ing them closely we will be able to keep up that feeling 
in a measure. If the task is not too arduous, they will 
learn to like it, and bowl along the track or road v/ith a 
zest that wiU nearly equal the pastoral gambols. There 
has arisen a feeling that a race to be worth seeing must 
be fast. Associations and proprietors, of course, have re- 
cogTiized this by doing everything in their power to have 
the fastest horses in the country grace their tracks, no 
matter if one was so much faster than all the rest that 
there was no show of a contest. This has led those 
having the management of courses to throw obstacles in 
the way of colt races, which would lack the speed con- 
sidered so essential. The interest to me in a race lies in 
the closeness of the contest. I would hardly walk a mile 
to see a horse that could go a mile in 2:15 if pitted 
against one that took five or ten seconds longer, not 
quarter that distance, if I had seen the actors performing 
before. To see half a dozen or more colts engage in a 
trial which was to determine a bona fide stake, and settle 
which is the best, would take me a long- way, and be of 
far more interest than those hackneyed races now so 
much in vogue. 

Preceptor. — This starring system which has been so 
fashionable for a term of years, has, without doubt, been 
a source of great injury to the trotting turf, not alone by 
making fast time the only attraction to draw people to 
the course, but inaugurating the hippodroming evil that 
has done far more injury. The large purses advertised 
meant only a division of the gate money ; and people that 
had been induced to visit the arena, expecting to see a 



146 HORSE PORTEAITUEE. 

true struggle for the thousands of dollars said to be at 
stake, went away dissatisfied when the transparency of 
the humbug was made apparent. 

PupEL. — The copartnership existing between the ancient 
patrons of the Olympic games has been dissolved, so far 
as the stars, or rather those managing them, are con- 
cerned. The God of Strength has been discarded, and 
they have enrolled themselves as the disciples of Mercury, 
without deigning to copy the adroitness which gave his 
stealings the charm of being so skilfully done that the 
victim's admiration nearly compensated for his loss. We 
are told by those conversant with the habits of one of the 
western tribes of Indians- — the Blackfeet — that steahng 
is a weighty part of the education of the young. The 
junior dusky warrior is unmercifully punished if detected. 
and as highly apj)lauded if undiscovered. This is akin to 
the story of the Spartan youth, who denied, with un- 
changed countenance, the theft of a fox. The savage ani- 
mal, covered by his mantle, gnawed flesh and bones till 
he reached the vitals. The stoicism shown by enduring 
this terrible torture rather than be convicted, is certainly 
to be admired. The corresponding thief, who makes the 
noble horse the vehicle of getting his hand into other 
men's pockets, is not the possessor of this redeeming qua- 
lity of manliness. However, my acquaintance with the 
class has been limited, and they may possess attributes 
which I have never seen, though it will take -conclusive 
proofs to have me believe there is any good in them. It is 
a pity the Indian and Sj)artan method had not been 
employed in finishing their education ; and while they 
learned to be adepts sufficient to conceal theii' depre- 
dations, it would have saved the obloquy from resting on 
the whole fraternity by the evil-doings of a few. 

Peeceptor. — It is a matter to be forever regretted that 
there should have been those who were willing to degrade 



REPUTATION OF RACE-COUESES. 147 

themselves by the practices you mention. My experience 
has led me to believe that there are very few who have 
erred, yet there have been enough of them detected in 
their villainies, to throw blame on all connected with this 
chief of sports. 

The matter, however, is working its own cure, and wiU 
forever be banished from all respectable courses, and 
those with a dirty record will be watched so closely, that 
certain ostracism will follow a relapse into former bad 
habits, 



CHAPTEE XI. 

EFFECT OF WEATHER ON CONDITION — GOVERNMENT AID IN EN- 
COURAGING BREED OP HORSES — GENERAL GRANT — STABLE TRICKS, 

Preceptor. — The morning is again beautiful. How 
much we ought to prize the fine weather that is meted to 
us by the goodness of the Great Father ! We repine if a 
shower or mist interferes in the sHghtest manner with 
our business or pleasure, and give no thanks when the 
skies are as propitious as now. 

Favorable weather is of great importance in getting our 
horses in condition, and rain and sudden changes often 
render nugatory the care we have bestowed upon them, and 
upset all our calculations. My plan is to work, no matter 
what the weather is. Of course, the amount of labor will 
not be the same ; but it would be a tempest indeed that 
kept my horses in the stable twenty-four hours at a time. 

Condition is much sooner lost than acquired ; and as 
condition cannot be reached without continued work, it 
must be lost when we cease our exertions. It is not pleas- 
ant for either driver or horse to work on a muddy road or 
track, and the groom's duties are more onerous then when 
everything is dry and pleasant. The mud can be kept 
off in a great measure by using a cotton cloth, similar to a 
belly-wrapi^er, with strings to tie over the back. The tail 
is tied up and enveloped in a bandage, when the legs will 
be about all that is exposed. There are some cases when 
muddy roads are beneficial by satiu-ating the feet with 
moisture, although horses with good feet, and shod in the 



G0VERI5"ME]SrT PREMIUMS. I49 

manner I have directed, will never need this pluvial min- 
istration. It is agreed upon by both advocates and op- 
ponents of the Arabian horse, that his feet are always good, 
the dry climate and the scorching sands showing that 
water is not essential to his well-doing. The tnifc and 
rasp do the mischief, which no soaking can repau*. 

Pupil. — This weather is truly enjoyable, and I v/ill try 
and keep it in remembrance when inclined to repine at 
that which is less favorable. I was reading an article last 
night, that has filled me with "vast ideas" which I am 
anxious to disclose to you for criticism or commendation. 
It was an editorial from the Spirit, advocating the appro- 
priation by the General Government of one hundred 
thousand dollars a year, to be applied in purses for races, 
and distributed equally among the States. It struck me 
that if the measui'e was carried out, the benefit to the 
whole country would be immense, and the outlay would 
return to the treasury a hundred fold increased, through 
channels opened by this appropriation. The plan j^ro- 
posed was to give the amount into the hands of the 
respective governers, who should select a central place 
where it could be run for under such conditions as Con- 
gTess might impose. What an impetus it would give to 
breeding a better class of horses in States, now wofuUy 
deficient in those adapted for either pleasure or service ! 
There is no country in the world, of the same extent, so 
well calculated for breeding good horses as the whole of 
the United States. The extremes, both North and South, 
require that more care be taken than in that portion fa- 
vored by a more equal temperature ; the South not being 
so favorable for the culture of the grasses and small ce- 
reals, and the North requiring a greater outlay for warm 
stables, and a larger supply of fodder and grain. But 
neither is a bar to profitable breeding and rearing ; and 
the stimulus given by this contemplated movement would 

1' 



ISO HORSE POETKAITURE. 

quicken farmers to prepare themselves with all the re- 
quirements necessary for the propagation. My idea would 
be to confine the government purses to horses owned in 
the States where the trial was to be, and, after a proper 
lapse of time, to those bred there. The reason why I 
would confine it to horses owned in individual States is, 
that the object to be gained is the improvement of stock 
over the whole country, and not in one particular section 
where breeding has been established, without other aid 
than the fondness of the inhabitants for turf sports, 
coupled with a chmate and soil favorably endowed by 
nature for breeding the best horses with the least outlay 
and care. With this assistance from government, there is 
not a North-western State which would not soon be filled 
with the blood from those localities where the race horse 
is now jDrevalent, The demand would enhance the value, 
and create a market that would remunerate the breeders 
far better than if they were allowed to make a circuit with 
their best animals, and sweep the board of every purse 
offered. You will pardon me for again introducing Iowa; 
I only do so from being more famihar with her people 
and resources than those of any other State. I removed 
there when a mere boy, soon after she had been admitted 
into the sisterhood of States, before the clatter of a loco- 
motive had been heard within hundreds of miles, when 
her population was mainl}'' confined to the river counties, 
and the only market was down the Mississippi. "VVe can 
point with pi'ide to the position she now occupies, and 
may be pardoned if we provoke a smile at the magnitude 
of our anticipations for her futui-e. The few thousand 
dollars Iowa would receive as her proportion of the race 
hiixd would work wonders iu the introduction of blood 
stock. 

There are several gentlemen of my acquaintance who 
would delight in owning and training race horses, if there 



STATE RIVALET AN ADVANTAGE.. 151 

were an opportunity of running them for adequate purses 
within the limits of the State. Should the contests be 
confined to those horses actually owned there, and after 
a suitable lapse of time to those bred there, thoroughbred 
stalhons would be located in nearly every county. These 
State contests, determining which was the best, would en> 
hance the interest in the general race meetings by bring- 
ing together the State victors, and afterwards the con- 
queror of the West would meet the Eastern champion at 
Saratoga, Paterson, or Westchester, the winner making- 
good his title to the premiership. 

The small amount donated by CongTess would set the 
ball in motion, not so much from the money value, as the 
efi:ect it would have to popularize the sport. Should the 
Governor of Iowa say to the various smart little cities 
within her boundaries, "I have such a sum put in my 
hands for the encouragement of breeding a better class of 
horses than now exist in our State. It is conceded by 
those conversant with the matter, that the best way to 
appropriate this sum to eflect the object in view, is to 
give it in prizes for horses running long distances. 
Which city will build the best course, put up the neces- 
sary buildings, and add an amount sufficient to ensure a 
variety of races suitable for all classes, on a guarantee of 
having it located for ten years at that place?" There 
would be so many liberal offers that the difficulty would 
bo to discriminate between them, and select the most fa- 
vorable ; for to my knowledge there are half a dozen places 
that would give all needed, to have two good meetings a 
year. Confining the races for the government money to 
horses owned in the State, would ensure the colts being 
kept for breeding purposes; and the rivalry between those 
determined to own the best, would lead them to select for 
purchase animals that are ranked high in places where 
the thoroughbred has been reared for long periods. It 



152 HORSE PORTEAITUEE. 

would not be long ere the good effects would be visible ; 
not only in improving horses for cavalry service, but road, 
trotting and carriage horses would be more jilentiful and 
of a great deal better quahty. I have thought so much 
of the scheme since reading the article alluded to, that 
I am fuU of the subject; and to follow it in all its bearings 
for the good of the horse stock would be a trial to your 
patience more formidable than I am inclined to pimish 
you with. However, it is so intimately blended with the 
breeding of trotters that I hope every effort will be made 
to have such a project become a law. There are enough 
influential men in every State interested in the welfare of 
the horse, who, if united in their endeavors to press the 
matter on the members of Congress from their respective 
districts, could render its success sure. I feel confident 
General Grant would recommend it, even if ten times the 
amount were asked for, for the benefit that would follow 
to the improvement of the cavalry alone. During the last 
Illinois State Fair, the General, attended by a brilliant 
comx)any of general ofiicers, was present. Though he 
|)aid great attention to the various departments, it was 
'50on evident which was of the most interest to him. An 
old man, whose appearance was striking from the pecu- 
liarity in his manner and apparel, came in upon the judge's 
stand where the General was seated, and asked his per- 
mission to name a favorite colt, then on the ground, 
after him. The request was courteously acceded to by 
the hero, with the promise of visiting his namesake before 
he left the ground. The old gentleman Avithdrew to pre- 
pare the colt for the distinguished company, and on the 
ajDproach of Grant, led him to the fi'ont of the stall. Well 
did he merit the encomiums bestowed on him b}^ his 
breeder. 

Tlie v>^hole group was striking, and as I looked at the 
few comprising it, I would have given a pretty good trotter 



GEK. GEANT AJSTD THE COLT. 153 

to have had a faithful picture of the scene. The old man 
was apparently verging on that period of hfe allotted by 
the psalmist as its close, but possessing all the vigor of 
manhood. His form was tall, spare, and sinewy, the right 
arm gone, yet with the left he controlled the bounding 
motions of the vigorous colt easily, the grace of whose 
movements was rather heightened, than otherwise, by 
the constraint. His hair was white, hanging in long locks 
down his back. His clothing was home-made, a kind of 
blue jean, that set off the tendinous frame to far better 
advantage than the smoother broadcloth would have 
done. The fire in the grey eye was as brilliant as ever 
flashed from beneath the silky veil of the most radiant 
belle. The animal was of course thoroughbred, a deep 
chestnut, with lithe Hmbs and glossy coat, his form pos- 
sessing the symmetry due his breeding. The General's 
square, massive face expressed pleasure more than I 
had ever seen it while receiving the ovations of the most 
demonstrative crowd. General Logan, with one or two 
officers of the Agricultural Society and Driving Park As- 
sociation, were the only persons present. The colt's 
bridle was decorated with knots of blue ribbons, betoken- 
ing the first premiums he had received. The old man, 
after allowing a few minutes to elapse for the General to 
scan his beautiful proportions and lightness of movement, 
said, "There is your namesake. General. I have bred 
many a good colt, but this is the most likely one I ever 
raised. He has taken twelve blue ribbons, and nary red 
one." 

The General very handsomely signified his admiration, 
and the old man rej^laced in the stall the colt whose elas- 
tic step Vv'asnot a whit more bouyant than that of the man 
who had owned his progenitors for many a generation. 
I am quite a hero-worshipper, yet I thought more of Ge- 
neral Grant for the unassuming way with which he gi'anterl 



154 HOESE PORTRAITURE. 

tliat old man's request, as if lie were the party honored, 
than for all the battles he ever gained. 

Peeceptok. — That was a beautiful trait in the character 
of the successful military chieftain whom a whole people 
are anxious to honor, — escaping from the plaudits of a 
crowd to gratify one humble individual by the admiration 
of his colt. 

The plan you speak of, if forced upon the attention of 
Congress, would do even more for the improvement of 
horses than the most sanguine supporters claim. Poh- 
ticians, however, will not see the benefit, as there is 
nothing to be gained by them from the appropriation. 
Incorporate with this bill a whole army of useless offices, 
with rich salaries, and it will go through the House hke 
a " prairie on fire," as that would make places to reward 
adherents and relatives for their aid in elections. Farm- 
ers are the most indolent men in the world in looking 
after their interests not immediately connected with their 
bit of land. They never will learn the lesson taught by 
the faggots resisting all efforts to break them when 
united, but which is so easily accomplished when mi- 
bound. Broach this subject to them, and nine out of ten 
will admit its merits — not one in a hundi-ed second it 
with an effort, or sign a petition, if you have not pen 
ready to place in their fingers. Once make it popular, 
and the Hon. M. C.'s will vote for it, even if lacking the 
essentials I have before remarked. How are you going 
to do this ? Not thi-ough the political press ; their col- 
umns are filled with stuff disgusting to a man not biased 
by party drill. The agricultural press, in their advocacy 
of fat bullocks, swine, and sheep, ignore the horse that 
has speed enough to carry one comfortably to mill or 
market, from a feeling of jealousy at the prominent place 
occupied by horses and "jockeys" at the fairs, these very 
horses, enabHng managers to pay premiums to cattle 



UNITED ACTION OF H E S E -B K E E D E R S. 155 

which were it not for the interest taken by the multitude 
on the very animals thus decried by the cattle-breeders, 
they could never do. Our Government, at an outlay 
of several hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, 
publishes a work, called the "Eeport of the Commissioner 
of Agriculture." One year it was of vast importance to 
the horse -breeding interest, the result of an article 
written by one familiar with the subject. The last issue 
has an account of a mongrel, only amounting to an ad- 
vertisement for one individual horse; and the volume 
preceding the one containing Mr. — 's first-rate article, 
contained one written by a prominent agricultural writer, 
yet so devoid of truth that the merest tyi'O in horse 
breeding would not have been misled by it. How then 
will you effect the poj)ularity requisite to carry the bill 
you propose through Congress and on its intrinsic merits 
without adventitious aid? 

Pupil. — By each man that subscribes for a turf paper 
constituting himself an agent and canva.sser to increase 
its circulation, till the masses become acquainted with the 
efforts that are making for the benefit of the country at 
large through the improvement of the stock ; by calling 
the attention of people to the course pursued by other 
countries in encouraging by governmental aid the pro- 
duction of the true ty|)e of animals fi'om which to breed; 
by invoking influential men in every State to enforce 
their views through channels open to them, — subscribing 
to truths with which they are familiar, and which would 
need no further guarantee than their proper signature. 
I could name hosts of the very foremost men all over the 
country interested in this joroject, whose concerted sup- 
port would insure its success. I read a notice in a paper 
that has a bearing on this, and reminded me of our former 
conversation regarding the English women, horses, and 
trees. I transcribed it, as every countrj'^ there mentioned 



156 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

lends its influence through money appropriations to the 
advancement of the breed of horses. It is copied from 
"The EngHsh at Home." 

" England produces three objects which are met with 
everywhere, but which in this island are remarkable for 
then* marvelous beauty — the women, the trees, and the 
horses. Moreover, every place which raises a race of 
horses worthy of admiration is also peopled by pretty 
women. What is the cause of the coincidence is not easy 
to say; but this strange correlation is not the less real. 
Georgia rears the best horses of the East. The i^lains of 
La CamerquCj in the neighborhood of Aries, famous for 
its lovely gu-ls, preserves the blood of the Moorish coursers 
in a state of nature. The Andalusian maid attains her 
perfection of form by the side of the most symmetrical 
steeds of the Peninsula. At Mecklenburg you behold the 
purest blood of Germany; and when a phalanx of Amazons 
gallops along the avenues of the London parks, the daz- 
zled eye cannot fix itself with indifference either on the 
ecuyere or the animal on which she is mounted. Let a 
young girl draw up her horse under a lofty tree, and you 
will contemplate, grouped in a single picture, the three 
marvels of England." 

The comparison will hold good in our own country, as 
will be readily admitted by those who are famihar with 
the beauty of the females in those regions most remark- 
able for fine horses. I will not try any more than the 
author above quoted to account for the parallel. It is 
very true that the beauty of the thoroughbred is nearly 
akin to the highest type of female loveliness. The flowing 
hues made up of curves identical with Hogarth's line of 
grace and beauty; the highbred look, the lustrous eye, the 
silken, glossy hair, the gxace of movement, the pliability 
of limb, and the rounded form free from all grossness. 
Hang up a pictui'e of the Venus de Medici, by the side 



IMPOBTAN'CE OF QUALITY IN HORSES. 157 

of that of Bees\/mg, and you will find more than one point 
of resemblance. 

Peeceptor. — Without seeing the resemblance, I will cor- 
dially admit that they are both very much to be admired, 
and after a handsome woman, a handsome horse has the 
next place in my favor. But all this will not help the 
passage of the bill through Congress. "With the co-ope- 
ration of the influential horse admirers, both East and 
West, the thing would be easier of solution. This cer- 
tainly looks like the most feasible way. I know of hun- 
dreds who would do everything in their power to assist 
in getting such a law enacted. Horse races having be- 
come the fashion at Saratoga, would materially advance 
the cause. Yet it wants to be looked at in a higher light 
than merely the means of aiding a listless crowd to dawdle 
away their time. The very existence of a country may 
depend on the quality of the horses ; and if those used 
in the late war had been of a higher grade, the cavah'V 
would not only have been more effective, but the cost to 
our government would have been much less. In time 
of peace the merits of the horse, if not so apparent are 
equally of the same importance ; the horse, more than 
any other animal, belonging to the highest civilization, 
and aiding more than all others the development of a 
country. 

This talk has rather led us away from the animals im- 
mediately under our charge. As their treatment will need 
but Httle variation for a week or two, till they commence 
jogging, the only thing required is to see that they are 
regularly fed, groomed, and walked, watching things that 
may appear trivial, but which often grow in magnitude 
till they are difficult to eradicate. Idle horses, or those 
not working very hard, are apt to acquire habits that are 
very annoying — as crib biting, weaving, pawing, disliking 
to go through a doorway, kicking the sides of the stall, &c. 



158 HOESE PORTRAITUKE, 

Tlie first is considered by many an unsoundness, as well 
as a disagreeable habit, and tliey would reject a horse, no 
matter how good, or ever so well suited to the business 
they wanted him to perform, if he possessed this trick. 
I do not look at it in this light, and apart from the an- 
noyance of listening to the sound usually made by those 
addicted, am not aware that it injures the animal. The 
idea that they " suck wind " enough to make them any 
more liable to coHc or rupture of the intestines, is cer- 
tainly false in all that have come under my observation. 
One of the finest " Gentleman's Horses " I ever knew was 
a confirmed crib biter. He was a large, brown gelding, 
nearly sixteen hands high, stylish and showy, had trotted 
in 2 : 28, could pull a wagon almost that fast, gentle and 
reliable in every place. If there was anything he could 
lay his teeth on he was sure to crib, yet always kept 
easy ; would stand an immense amount of work, and trot 
long distances, but was never, to my knowledge, sick a 
day in his life. The last I knew of him, he was owned by a 
gentleman in Cincinnati, who valued him very highly for 
his many good quahties. When horses have once ac- 
quired this habit, I doubt if they ever forget it. By 
having a box or stall sealed up perfectly smooth, they 
cannot get hold of anything, and few horses will crib if 
thus kept, though some press their teeth against the 
smooth side and accomphsh it. There is a muzzle made, 
through which horses can pick up their feed without 
being able either to bite or get hold of anything with 
their teeth. It is made with two small iron bars, joined 
to the nose band of the halter, far enough apart to allow 
motion of the lips sufficient to pick up their food. 

Weaving is another very perplexing habit, acquired 
from, I know not what, and when once learned I never 
could cure it. Fretful, high tempered horses are most 
prone to acquire it, and when at full work generally quit 



WEAVING AND OTHER TRICKS. 159 

of their own accord. Some horses cannot be easy till they 
have pawed their bedding quite out of the way, leaving 
them the bare floor to lie on, soiling their clothes and 
liair in a manner not very agreeable to the groom, his 
duties thereby being much increased. Turning them loose 
in a box, fastening a clog above the knee, will sometimes 
cro-e this evil. When the latter is tried, there should 
be a jjad applied to the shin, to keep the clog from in- 
juring the very sensitive membrane covering the tendons. 
From having been led carelessly through a doorway, 
where .they have been injiu-ed, horses are afterwards fear- 
ful of attem.pting the passage, and when urged to do so 
wiU go through with a bound that adds greatly to the 
danger. Compel the groom to get the horse square with 
the door before leading him out, holding him firmly by 
the halter, so that the leap cannot be made, never urging 
him to go faster than the slowest pace ; in no case per- 
mitting a blow to be given. Eather than use force, either 
blindfold or back him out, until the fear is overcome by 
judicious usage. 

Kicking the sides of the stall is a very unfortunate cus- 
tom some horses possess, and no amount of punishment 
will cure one that has become determined in the practice. 
Clogs and whips are of no avail, and it seems to be al- 
most a species of insanity, compelHng them to kick away 
till their legs are bruised and swollen from the blows. I 
had one very fine horse that I had tried every method of 
cure I could hear of without effect. When he was shackled, 
of course he could not kick, neither could he lie down, 
and I have kept him standing for a week, when in less 
than an hour after the straps were removed he would fall 
to kicking as fiiriously as if the lost time had to be made 
up. I cured him by putting him in a stall about the 
width usually made in livery stables, the sides of the same 
length of the horse when standing with his head at the 



160 HOKSE POETEAITURE. 

manger. A bar was dropped behind his quarters to 
keep him from backing. Through the sides of the stall a 
slot was cut large enough to admit a plank two inches 
thick and eighteen inches wide. This plank came within 
half an inch of his loin, and of coiu'se he could not raise 
himself to kick. It was amusing to watch the rage he 
would get in at finding his most violent eflbrts frustrated. 
I looked for him to strike with one foot, and intended, if 
he had done so, to let a shelf extend on each side as high 
as his gaskins, which would have prevented it. The plank 
over the loin, however, cured him, and I never heard of 
his relapsing into his former bad practice, although going 
from my stable into a stall that had not these appHances. 



CHAPTEE XII. 

CONSTKTJCTING THE TRACK— BREAKING COLTS. 

Pupil. — Stable tricks and ^dces are very annoying ; and 
tne old adage of prevention being tenfold better than 
cure, is wortby of being accepted as saving an immensity 
of trouble, by nipping in the bud habits that become in- 
curable when allowed to seat themselves. Idleness and 
confinement are a source of most of them, and when horses 
are in sufficient exercise there is not much danger of their 
acquiring them. Having now a little spare time before 
dinner, I will take up the history of the Iowa farm, broken 
oft' when the training-barn was built. We will now con- 
struct the track, and begin the education of the colts, by 
this time well advanced in their second year. The field 
where we will build the track has already been partially 
described ; lying on the north side of the road that di- 
vides the estate in nearly equal portions. I find an old 
habit — so old, indeed, that it is one of the very first of 
my recollections — still clinging to me, and which I will 
never be able to rid myself of. My life has been twofold : 
the actual, made up of rather more stirring scenes than 
falls to the lot of every one, in which I have exhibited a 
fair share of energy and determination ; the other has 
been an inner Hfe, which has more than occupied its due 
half of my years, — a dreamy, inactive one, where fancy has 
taken place of reality, aftbrding day-dreams, more en- 
trancing than the rosiest visions, dreams seen while the 



163 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

spirit was freed from its gross material covering, rambling 
untrammeled thi'ougli every clime, and witnessing won- 
drous things, the recollections of which have never been 
effaced. These fantasies now make up a definite period 
of my existence. It requires a strong effort of the memory 
to separate the ideal from the actual, and I have often 
detected myself recounting some adventure which was a 
mixture of both lives. 

I remark this, to account for my talking about the breed- 
ing-farm as if it were a thing tangible and real, with the 
brood mares, colts, fields, paddocks, and buildings, just as 
1 have described them. When I return to Iowa, there 
will be times when I shall walk over the pasture field on 
my own httle farm, saunter along past the church and 
school-house, and be disapjiointed, in climbing the Httle 
elevation between these and the stone-house, not to see 
the colts gamboling in the field, or the prairie rose and 
woodbine draping the house, relieved now by nothing 
save the shade of the oaks in the background. 

The field is slightly undulating, and of sufficient extent 
to get any shape we may desire the track to be. We will 
adopt the one you recommend, — two parallel sides of a 
quarter of a mile each, joined with semicii'cles of the same 
length. The soil is just what is best adapted for the j)ur- 
pose, — a dark sandy loam, the proj)ortion of sand being 
small. The richness of it is attested by the corn growing 
so high that there are stalks where the ear is almost out 
of a man's reach, with the tassels waving fifteen feet above 
the gTound. We commence by plowing deeply, either 
using a double Michigan plow drawn by foui' horses, or 
make two teams follow each other in the same furrow. 
The advantage of deep plowing, is to get a stratum of this 
easily pulverized soil that can be leveled without leaving 
hard places near the surface, causing inequalities that will 
be hard to get rid of. The plowing accomplished, the 



PKEPAEING THi; TEACK. 168 

harrow and brush are used till it is in as fine tilth as 
would he necessary to raise a premium crop of onions, 
We will now commence walking the horses on it, which 
will destroy the even surface and tread it into holes, A. 
scraper will then be needed, and according to my idea, 
the best is constructed on the following plan : Take two 
oak planks, fourteen feet long and a foot in width. They 
are placed together so as to form two sides of an equila- 
teral triangle, the apex joined by strong iron hinges. Bars 
are fi'amed in near the base, fastened only at one end, so 
that the planks can be brought together or separated as 
wanted. The plank on the right hand side, as you stand 
behind it, is faced with a thin plate of steel, extending 
half an inch below the wood. A chain runs from the 
point two-thirds of the way along this plank, so as to 
change the Hne of draft as required by the spreading 
of the instrument. At the very end, a handle is bolted 
on, by which a man guides it, and allows the dirt pushed 
away by the steel-jolate, to be deposited wherever de- 
sired, by hfting on this handle. 

We commence on the turn, closing the scraper till it is 
six feet across the base of the triangle, the left-hand plank 
riinning in the furrow, which j^revents it shding to the 
left, and the other side carrying all the loose dirt the width 
that the instrument is set to the right. We keep on, 
cleaning out the ditches the same way as on the stretches, 
only that we close the scraper still more as we want a 
level surface there, while the turns should be formed so as 
to have a gradual sIo^dc rising fi-om the inside. The out- 
side of a track twenty feet wide should be raised two feet. 
Having followed the inside furrow once round the track, 
we open the wings of the scraper, keeping the draught 
chain regailated so as to carry the dirt on the semicircles 
further towards the outside ; while on the stretches it is 
drawn in such a manner that the loose soil is leveled 



164 HOESE POETEAITURE. 

only, a very small proportion of it finding its way outside. 
As the track becomes hard, we load the scraper, to enable 
it to cut off the inequalities, depositing the surplus in the 
depressions. 

We will also want a harrow, built after a different 
plan from the ajsproved agricultural pattern. The teeth 
should be made of steel, a quarter of an inch thick, and 
one and a half inches wide, hammered to a point, and the 
edge sharpened. These teeth are set in a frame and in- 
clined a httle backward. They are placed in three di- 
visions, arranged so they will cut the space in which they 
run into inch strips. A pole is necessary that it may fol- 
low the team, which is further controlled by handles like 
those of a plow. Should the track become hard, this in- 
strument cuts it up very effectually to the depth required, 
leaving a light coating of loose dirt, which has a gi-eat ef- 
fect in moderating the concussion consequent upon the 
rapid motion of a hoi'se, also filling up the space between 
the shoe sole and fi'og, the benefit of greater elasticity in 
yielding to the jamming force of the blow thus secured. 
We will find the constant use of the harrow, brush, and 
scraper needed during the first year ; after that the track 
can be kept in order with a great deal less work. 

After a rain, the track should be harrowed when it has 
become dry enough not to clog the teeth. This keeps the 
surface from drying and cupping out. The brush spoken 
of, I make by having an axle ten feet long placed in the 
hind wheels of a lumber wagon, with holes bored in it 
two inches in diameter, and six or eight inches apart. 
The holes are sloping, so that, when the wheels are on and 
the brush fastened in these holes, it will be held firmly 
against the ground. Elm or birch is the best, the pliant 
twigs lasting a long while before they need renewing. 
This levels the newly harrowed surface admirably, and I 
have never known any other instrument needed to keep 



DRAINING AND FENCING THE TRACK. 165 

a track in first-rate order. There are, of course, exceptions. 
The Chicago Driving Park Course is on a level, sandy 
prairie, vphich cuts up in dry vreather till horses can only 
wallow through the loose soil. A coating of clay was used, 
but it was of a character that slaked, the track becoming 
nearly as bad as before the apphcation. It was then 
covered with a thin coating of coal cinders, obtained at a 
neighboring rolling-mill. These, when properly pulver- 
ized by a very heavy roller, made a great improvement. 
Wet weather, which before the application of the cinders 
would have precluded work upon the track, now scarcely 
affects it. 

On this rich prairie soil, there is not much difficulty in 
either building or keeping a track in order. The team 
does the whole work, and I have seen as good a training- 
track as any one could desire, where there never was a 
spade or shovel used. The drainage is effected by the 
slope of the track, carrjdng all the water to the inner 
ditch, two small culverts being sufficient to convey it to 
the outside, where the natural depression makes a channel 
for it to flow into a little stream that carries it into the 
]\Iississippi. As I remarked when locating the stable, the 
track runs almost to it — so near that the shed for the 
wagons and sulkies takes up nearly the whole space 
between them. The track is fenced around, the first curve 
with a board fence, the boards close together, and so high 
as to present a formidable barrier, should a colt try to 
bolt as he approaches the barn. The rest of the distance 
the fence is of wire, and the newly planted cotton-woods 
are expected to take the place of the posts, acquiring suf- 
ficient size long before the present ones decay. The cotton- 
wood was certainly created expressly for the prairie, its 
quick growth and hardiness making it the very tree 
needed for many purposes. It can be trained to almost 
any form, either throwing out its branches near the 

8 



166 HOESE POETEAITURE. 

gr(jund, making a perfect pyramid of verdure when in full 
leaf ; or, by pruning the lower branches, it shoots up with 
a top not large enough to injure vegetation by its sha- 
dow, or prevent the sun evaporating the water on the 
course. This makes a fence that will last for many years ; 
the galvanized wire being nearly indestructible, while the 
living posts will be good for generations to come. The 
trees are planted only six feet apart, and the wire will be 
fastened to them by staples driven into the wood. The 
only care needed will be to cut these staples as the tree 
increases its growth, and replace them with others. If 
this were neglected, the rapidly growing tree would rioon 
enclose wire and staple, and the swaying of the tree in 
the wind might break them, which the play of the wire in 
the staples will prevent. 

We are now ready to commence breaking the colts in a 
business-like manner, and as the pleasant Indian Summer 
days arrive, we will give our pupils the second lesson in 
the horse "rudimans." They are all thoroughly halter- 
broken, never having been aUowed to go a week without 
being led and tied up. The head-stall of a bridle, with a 
email snaffle bit, is put on over the halter, accustoming 
them to wear it by leaving it on when they are fed. Very 
soon the novelty is acquiesced in, and they become famil- 
iar with the bit. We now lead them with the reins at- 
tached, in lieu of the halter, accustoming them to tui'n to 
either side as required. The harness, or rather the j)ad 
and girth, is placed on them, and the driving reins are 
applied, without passing them through the terrets, so that, 
if a colt turns around quickly, we still have the reins in a 
position to control him. Each colt is practiced thus till 
he acquires a mouth, that is, till he will obey the least 
touch of the bit, without bending his neck or sidling his 
body. It requii-es command of temper, and great patience, 
to make this part of the training effectual. But when 



BREAKING COLTS. 167 

once thoroughly accomplished, the benefit will well repay 
the time thus employed. It is not pleasant to walk day 
after day behind a colt, watching his slightest motion ; 
now touching him with the whip to straighten him or 
make him answer the bit, compelling him to stop at the 
word of command, and to move in a straight line till you 
signahze him to turn with the rein. This is not as pleas- 
ant as to sit in a sulky, and have him draw you while ad- 
ministering the lesson ; yet you teach him this way far 
more thoroughly. If placed in the shafts before he knows 
what the bit means, or what is required of him in this new 
situation, he will be far more hkely to get in trouble. 
Should he move sideways till he strikes the shaft, he is 
frightened, and throws himself violently against it, upset- 
ting the sulky, or he becomes sullen and will not move at 
all. The sharp single blow of the whip that you can give 
in the former situation with impunity, cannot now be ven- 
tured on without risk. You lead and coax till he plainly 
understands he has got the advantage, and will keep it. 
I can exemphfy this by recounting my " experience " with 
a young mare I was training. She had been broken when 
I got her, and the first notice I had of there being any 
thing wrong, was her refusal to go past the barn, which 
was within twenty yards of the track. If led for a few 
rods, she would go on till she came around, only to be 
more determined in her obstinacy. A touch of the whip 
showed she had been coerced in that way, and knew how 
to resent it by wheeling so abruptly as to endanger up- 
setting the vehicle. I took her out of the shafts, took a 
long whip and gave her the word to proceed. She shook 
her head when a Hght touch of the whip was given. The 
moment she attempted to wheel I hit her with all the force 
I was master of in one blow. She retaliated by kicking as 
violently as I had struck. I straightened her into the 
track, and on her refusal struck her the one severe blow 



168 HOESE PORTEAITUKE. 

again, giving her time to go on and never repeating the 
blow till she was placed properly to go straight past the 
barn. It was not long before she became satisfied that her 
best course was to do as she was wanted, and passed and 
repassed the barn without any hesitation. Had I attempt- 
ed this lesson when she was in the sulky, confining her 
with Idcking-straps, in all probability she would have 
thrown herseK, breaking the shafts, or doing mischief of 
some kind. 

After the colts are thoroughly broken to the bit, the 
rest of the harness is put on, and as soon as they become 
familiarized with the breaching danghng about their quar- 
ters, they are placed in the shafts, taking the precaution 
of using a kicking-strap, though in all of the colts I have 
broken but one or two have needed this safeguard. By 
the time the snow and fi-ost have followed the golden au- 
tumn, our colts are all broken, and are wintered much the 
same way as the preceeding season, fed aU they will eat 
heartily, and allowed plenty of opportunity for exercise. 
They are now nearly as handy as old horses, having been 
driven single and double, without requiring them to show 
more speed than their natural trot. When brought safely 
thi-ough the winter, so well grown and furnished, that they 
look like three-year-olds, nearly all of them being over 
fifteen hands, and " thick through as a hay-stack." 

I beg pardon, as I find I have been talking as if I were 
the master, in place of the scholar who hopes to profit so 
much from your instruction. 

Peeceptok. — There is no need of ofiiering any apologies, 
as I have previously told you that your experience in rear- 
ing, breeding, and handhng colts has been much more ex- 
tensive than mine, and that you are therefore capable of 
teachiiig me this branch of the business. I never broke a 
colt in my life, though I have had horses that I would 
much rather have had in a state of nature than as they 



BITTING. 169 

were, possessing all the bad tricts a faulty education could 
engender. There is one i^art of your conversation that I 
want you still further to explain, — the mouthing, as you 
termed it. Am I to understand that this is to take the 
place of bitting, and if so, how it is effected, by merely 
driving with the pad and reins ? 

PupHi. — I am glad you have questioned me on that 
point, as I have had frequent arguments with those who 
hold to the barbarous practice of bitting, when done by 
the old appliances, which is to have a wide surcingle, or 
rather leathern roller, with rings, buckles, and loops, in 
every place where there was room to sew them ; a strong 
crupper and bridle, with a half-dozen reins attached ; a 
large snaffle bit, with three or four little pendants joined 
to the ring in the centre, like those worn on Mexican 
spurs. These are put on the poor colt, the bearing reins 
tightened till his head is thrown in the air, when the side 
reigns are buckled, so as to compel him to bring his muz- 
zle as close to his breast as the check will permit. He is 
now turned into a yard, and his tormentor takes a whip, 
and forces him to run around in .this confined space till 
the man becomes tired. The victim is not released then, 
but is left to fight against the bit, and endure the horrid 
punishment for hours at a stretch. When asked the rea- 
sons for thus cruelly treating him, you will be answered, 
" that he may give way to the bit, get a proper, elegant car- 
riage, set him on his haunches," &c., &c. There is not an 
iota of sense in all this talk. The sensitiveness of the 
mouth, on which much of the pleasure of riding or driv- 
ing a horse dejDends, is destroyed. The constrained car- 
riage of the head is anything but elegant, while the throw- 
ing on the haunches, carries no meaning v;ith it at all. It 
is very true that when a colt is first put to work, he has a 
slovenly way of going ; his head is carried low, and his 
whole appearance is very different from one that has ac- 



170 HOESE POKTRAITURE. 

quired the graces of the manege. Tou see no lack of 
beauty of motion and carriage in the same animal when 
playing in the field ; and only give him time enough to 
learn the lessons that cannot be hurried by a few days* 
suffering in the bitting bridle, and he will surpass those 
with tempers spoiled by that persecution. The first les- 
sons our colts received were given before they were any 
more afraid of mankind than they were of their dams. 
King is the only instance I ever knew of a colt when first 
foaled, being terrified at the approach of a man, who took 
the proper method of making his advances. These colts 
have been groomed, fondled, accustomed to have their 
feet taken up, and hence are like old horses in these 
particulars. During the summer, when the halters were 
put on, they were allonged by attaching a strap to a ring in 
the front part of the nose-band, which I think much better 
than performing the same operation with a bridle or cord 
put round the lower jaw, as that is apt to make the 
mouth unequal by a greater pressure coming on one side. 
When we commence driving them in the manner recom- 
mended, a check or bearing rein is apphed, so loose- 
ly, however, that it will not be felt unless the head is 
thrown down lower than the level of the withers. This is 
made shorter by degrees, accustoming them gradually to 
the constraint, but it should never be allowed to interfere 
with an easy carriage of the head. 

I have found in some headstrong colts a propensity to 
try to rid themselves of the check by throwing their heads 
violently down, in some cases succeeding in breaking the 
check rein or crupper strap. A judicious touch of the 
whip wiU generally reform this conduct, and an additional 
prevention will be found by using what is generally termed 
the " Kemble Jackson check." I prefer using separate bits 
for the diiving reins and check, if even applied in the cus- 
tomary manner. The check bit is drawn too much into 



IKJUKIES FEOM CHARLATANS. 171 

the corners of the mouth, while, by using one untram- 
meled, the horse heeds its suggestions quicker, and the dri- 
ver is not met by an opposing force which often counteracts 
the effect intended. The muscles of the human arm are 
far better than any dumb jockey, St. Andi'ew's cross, or 
other contrivance used to mouth horses, and keep the sen- 
sitiveness and delicacy of the bars uninjured. The force 
is regulated by attending circumstances, and one thorough 
lesson given in this way, will effect more than any one not 
familiar with the plan would believe possible. I do not 
believe in talking much to the colts when breaking them. 
A pat on the neck, or the hand passed caressingly over the 
face and nostrils, is much preferable to many words or 
much fussing. The commands should be distinct, and the 
tones of the voice, when giving them, as little varied as 
possible. Every command must he enforced, and hence the 
greatest caution must be observed that we do not require 
what the colts cannot yet be expected to perform. There 
is no question but that much benefit followed the teach- 
ings of Rarey, though I am just as positively certain that 
the injuries resulting fi'om charlatans, who have traveled 
over the country exhibiting their ignorance and brutahty 
has more than counterbalanced the good. I saw an in- 
stance of this lately where a fine young mare — the get of 
the Falcon, and out of a thoroughbred dam — was the victim. 
She had been suffered to gTow up without handling, and 
being a large, powerful animal, her owner disliked to com- 
mence with her education himself. A pair of these travel- 
ing knaves who advertised to out-Rarey Rarey, and claimed 
to know aU of his method of " horsemanship," and a good 
deal more, took this mare in hand. The battle between 
the noble animal and the base bipeds was severe. They 
had tied a rope round her hind pastern and into the bit, 
and the result was what any one of sense might have ex- 
pected. She tore her mouth to pieces, and injured the leg 



172 HORSE POETRAITUEE. 

SO that there will be always a permanent enlargement 
of the upper pastern joint. They effected nothing, and 
when I saw her she could not be led out of the stable, if 
strangers were present. I am very peaceably inclined, 
and after a quarrel, feel exceedingly uncomfortable till time 
obhterates it from my mind. But had I happened along 
when these fellows were ill-treating this daughter of the 
Falcon, there would have been a case of assault and bat- 
tery, su7'e. 

Peeceptok. — Your reasoning is, that bitting, as ordina- 
rily practiced, is prejudicial ; and not having much know- 
ledge of the subject, I am unable to say. It is certain that 
a horse with a faulty configuration can never be taught 
to caiTy himself in a proper manner. It would also be 
hard to say which carriage is the most proper for a fast 
trotter, as there has been as much difference in the cele- 
brities in this particular as in others. Some have argued 
that style is incompatible with speed of the highest rate. 
That species of style which is shown by high, faulty action, 
and a peacock demeanor, does not, it is true, comport with 
fast trotting. Style, the result of proper form and good 
breeding, is quite a different thing. The neck justly at- 
tached to the body, springing from the sloping shoulder, 
and ended by the right setting-in of the head, requires 
but Uttle artificial aid to have it carried in a way the most 
favorable to appearance, and not in any way antagouisti- 
cal to speed. The bearing or check rein, is of great im- 
portance in trotting, and the one you have alluded to as 
the Kemble Jackson is httle understood, being used right 
and wrong by those unacquainted with what it is intended 
to effect. It is a powerfid auxiliary in handling tiu'bulent 
horses, or those that require to be more " thrown on their 
haunches," — though I agree with you that that term, so 
long in use, does not rightly express what is meant. I 



DENTITION. 173' 

will not introduce the subject of reins and bits till after 
dinner, when we can give it the attention it deserves. 

To-morrow, I intend starting on a trip that I had con- 
templated making later in the season, but have concluded 
that you will miss me less now than after your horses 
commence the other stages of the preparation. They will 
need watching, to see that their feed is regulated to suit 
the appetite and keep them in about the same flesh as at 
present. When feeding time comes, every horse ought 
to signify his desire by neighing ; and if he does not ex- 
press his anxiety on hearing the sieve rattle, his rations 
should be diminished ; and those that unmistakably show 
that their appetite has not been satisfied must have theirs 
increased. The colts' mouths will have to be examined 
frequently, to see that, while undergoing the process of 
dentition, their mouths are not made sore from the old 
teeth not being shed at the right time. The millc teeth 
are partially absorbed by those growing to take their place; 
and often hang by the integuments adhering to the side 
of the tooth, and preventing proper mastication of the 
food. Old horses frequently suffer from the grin ding- 
teeth not wearing away evenly, leaving sharp, jagged 
points to wound the inside of the lips. The file must be 
used to reduce them to a proper shape. Horses that are 
suffering fi'om this cause will signify it by partly chewing 
the hay, which will fall out of their mouth, in consequence 
of holding their head on one side to allow the food to 
come under the pressure of the teeth on the well side, &c. 
A decayed tooth may be the cause, though generally it is 
the sharp one wounding the tender parts adjacent. With 
the file made on purpose for this section of horse dentis- 
try, and which is guarded from injuring by being made 
round and smooth on the back, the job is easily accom- 
phshed, though I have seen cases that were neglected till 



174 HOESE POKTRAITURE. 

the wounded check became ulcerated, making a sore that 
was very difficult to heal. 

By the time I return, the Falcon, Never Mind, and Jane 
vdll be ready to be harnessed. The colts you may begin 
at once with, as the more practice they get, the quicker 
they will learn ; and not expecting them to trot fast 
enough to require first-rate condition, we will make the 
first consideration to teach them as much of their harness 
education as the time will permit. This is a matter we 
also discuss after dinner. I feel that my digestive organs 
are in proper order, and when the time comes for me to 
take my feed, I require no stimulus to eat with a rehsh. 

PupHi. — ^I am sorry to hear that I am to be deprived of 
your company, though I am pleased you have made up 
your mind to absent yourseK when your instructions will 
be of less importance than in the future. I regret, how- 
ever, that my affairs have caused you to change the time 
of your trip from that contemplated ; and you place me 
imder renewed obligations by neglecting your own inte- 
rests to further mine. 

Preceptor. — You need not mention the obHgation, as 
perhaps I will leave you again at my ordinary time of 
transmigration. I have some friends in the country with 
whom I spend a couple of weeks semi-annually, and have 
always timed my visit in the winter to the holidays, and in 
the summer to the middle of July, when my horses could 
be advantageously thrown up for a while, and recuperate 
their health and strength ; all parties benefited by laying 
in a fund that will carry us triumphantly through the fall 
campaign. 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

BITS, SKAFFLES, CHECKS ; CUEE FOR PULLING HOKSES, FOR CALLOUS 
AND SORE MOUTHS; TURKISH BATH, &C. 

Preceptor. — I find that after eating heartily it takes a 
little time before the ideas flow as readily as when di- 
gestion is further advanced. The subject we are going to 
talk about is of importance, requiring full use of our 
reasoning faculties, unobstructed by the over-indulgence 
in the good things we get here. Smoking, though, 
certainly assists in collecting the scattered reins of 
thought ; and through its soothing influence the mental 
faculties throw off the lethargy induced by hearty eating, 
and ideas soon coming faster than one can find words to 
express them. 

A person not conversant with horse life in all its 
phases would be surprised when shown a full collection 
of bits, — many of them useless, some worse than useless, 
testifying that their inventors would have been in their 
appropriate sphere if the old Spanish Inquisition still 
needed their aid in devising instruments of torture. The 
snaffle, in its various sizes and forms, is the most useful ; 
and were we restricted to one pattern, that would be the 
one chosen. But as we can pick and choose through 
these and through all the varieties of the bar, chain, and 
leather, it will be very hard if we cannot suit our horses' 
mouths. The curb is generally thought inadmissible for 
trotting purposes, though I have seen one or two instan- 
ces where its use was beneficial. It wiU be almost im- 



176 HOESE PORTRAITUKE. 

possible to prescribe, merely from bearing bow a borso 
performed, or even by di-iving bim, wbicb style would 
be best to use. Experiments will be tbe only guide to 
direct us, and we will find many trials necessary to know 
wbicb is tbe best for eacb borse under our charge. 

Colts' raoutbs are generally gTeatly injured in tbe first 
lessons given, and tbe delicacy of feeUng destroyed, by tbe 
use of tbe machinery you spoke of. Many seem to tbink 
tbis is a great point gained, and offering a borse for sale, 
will tell you tbat be bas a first-rate moutb, — ^meaning tbat 
be bas learned to pull against tbe bit witb all tbe force 
of tbe masticating muscles, regardless of tbe pain to tbe 
bps and bars. Wben I commence driving a borse tbat 
bas not been injured in tbe moutb, I always use a 
medium-sized steel snafile, witb long cbeck pieces and 
stout rings. Should he pull too much on this, or drive on 
one rein, I change it for a bar bit, again taking the 
medium-size. If he shows a disposition to run away, I 
put a chain bit in his mouth, which is as easy as any, if 
bis perversity does not force me to punish him with it by 
*" sawing.' Persistency in pulling generally compels me 
to use the high check. Should the horse's action not be 
' ujuriously affected, tbe apphcation is generally effectual. 
Before using it, I try the large leathern bit, with which 
I have cured the most obstinate cases. Pullies or sbp 
reining are only admissible when there is actual danger 
of rurning away. The method lately j)atented will 
usually stop the most obdurate. I have long been 
acquainted with tbe effectiveness of having tbe power to 
throw a horse's bead up when he attempts to kick or run 
away. Still there is an advantage in tbe novelties that 
are now protected by patents. TJiere is no cure for a pull- 
ing horse, hoivever, like that of not pulling against him ; 
though it adds to a person's steadiness of nerve to know 
that be bas tbe applicances to stop a horse, should gentle- 



BI'TS, BEAKING-KEIISr, HEAD CHECKS. 177 

ness not prevail. A horse can never be radically cured 
of this propensity to pull, unless the driver is determined 
not to gratify the morbid habit, but to ease away when- 
ever he rushes for the bit, and teach him that his comfort 
and ease of going is dependent on his ceasing to pull. 
The celebrated English jockey, Chiffhey, wrote a treatise 
on riding a race horse with a slack rein. I have never 
been fortunate enough to see it ; but, judging from the 
success he met with in " his mounts," his practice indi- 
cated the truth of this theory. Before leathern bits were 
in general use, I made one with a silk handkerchief. I did 
not transmute the silk into leather, but wound the hand- 
kerchief through two rings for check pieces. A pulling 
mare that I made it for was reconciled, and worked as 
kindly as any I ever drove. Some horses will not take 
hold of the bit, not even bearing enough on it to keep the 
reins straight. In some, this results from want of con- 
dition ; others seem to be afraid of pressure at all times ; 
while with others, it only occurs when they are very tired. 
The bit is frequently the cause; and when a horse has this 
very troublesome failing, I shift the bits, and sometimes 
find that he has a hking for some peculiar pattern, and 
wiU pull sufficiently to steady him, which is all that is 
required. The bearing-rein has a great deal to do with 
the education of a trotter ; and though, like many other 
things, fashion has proscribed it for a time only to sanction 
a more stringent use of it at another period. Very few 
horses require to be checked alike. A difference of a few 
holes will sometimes make a variation of ten seconds in 
the time for a mile. 

When a horse requires his head to be elevated very 
high, then the " Kemble Jackson," or head check, is most 
proper. Having a distinct bit for the check rein, allows 
the one attached to the driving reins the right position in 
the mouth, which would not be the case if it were drawn 



178 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

as far up as the angles of the lips would permit. Some 
object to this check on the ground of the pressure on the 
poll. This is not so great as is imagined ; neither is it 
heavier than when checked to the same altitude in the 
ordinaiy way. The horse not being able to lower his 
head by curving his neck, he cannot get so much pur- 
chase, either on the bearing rein, or those that we drive 
with. This gives the advantage in managing turbulent 
horses I spoke of before dinner, as we get them in a 
position where they cannot use their strength. To illus- 
trate this : grasp me round the body with both arms, and 
at the instant you apply your whole strength to throw me 
down, I push up your head with a slight touch of the 
hand on your chin, and you will fall as if shot. This 
check was invented, or at least used, to cure the celebrated 
stallion, from which it derives the name, from throwing 
his head dovm when in a break, and when he could not 
be made to recover his trot with his head in that position. 
The rapid improvement in this horse's gait, which placed 
him at the very top of the hst as a weight drawer, is 
ascribed to its use, as well as his going into the hands of 
the " Field Marshal." This title, apphed to Hiram Wood- 
ruff as a di'iver of trotters, is hardly right. He should be 
called the Emperor of the Knights of the "Whip and 
Snaffle, — the Field Marshals consisting of those who have 
a secondary renown. Frequently there is a marked change 
in the action of horses driven at first in this check, as the 
weight of the body is differently distributed by the position 
of the head. I have read an account of a series of experi- 
ments made by French veterinarians in weighing a horse. 
The scales were made in two compartments, or rather 
two platform scales were placed contiguous, so that the 
hind feet were on one, and the fi'ont feet on the other. 
It was surprising, the difference between the weight of 
the forehand, when the head was elevated or depressed. 



TBE KEMBLE JACKSON CHECK. 179 

A horse that has a long dwelling stroke is compelled to 
shorten it when his head is thus elevated, and. being 
quickened in his recovery in a greater ratio than what 
he loses by shortening his stride, of course goes faster. 
Horses that have the reverse of this action would in a 
corresponding manner be injured by the appHance. When 
an animal is narrow between the jaw-bones, pulling com- 
presses the throttle, and the result is roaring, high blow- 
ing, whistHng, according as the area for the passage of 
air is diminished. The outstretched nose makes a more 
direct route from the nostrils to the lungs, and the breath- 
ing is easier. The Kemble Jackson check is proper, then, 
when a horse throws his head down in a break, and re- 
fuses to catch his trot only at his pleasure, when the head 
is thrown heavily on the bit, " hogging," as some term it. 
There is a modification of this check for an animal need- 
ing an additional restraint to the usual paraphernaHa, for 
his proper government, but being so narrow between the 
jaws that the breathing is impeded, and whose action will 
be benefited by raising the head. The reins run over the 
forehead, and through the loops between the ears, similar 
to the Kemble Jackson ; but in place of running to the 
water-hook, is furnished with gag runners through which 
the ordinary bearing rein is run. I never could see that 
there was much advantage gained, but I have known men, 
very successful in training, who hold it in high favor. 

The aUongeing you mentioned as part of the system of 
breaking the colts, I have not viewed very favorably, and 
have imagined that many horses drove on one rein owed 
the habit to having been so used by calouses forming on 
one side of the mouth, while the other was natural. I have 
thought, with other objections, that are perhaps of not 
much weight, that there is danger to the legs from the 
violence of the animal, when confined in so small a space. 



180 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

PupHv. — To avoid giving this one-sided mouth, is the 
reason I use the halter with a ring in the noseband ; and 
when I want to tame an obdurate, headstrong animal that 
cannot be handled with the halter, I employ, in lieu of a 
bridle, a small rope about half an inch in diameter. This 
I form by making a loop that is large enough to go round 
the lower jaw, tying a bowline knot that will not slip. The 
rope is placed over the neck, and the end run through the 
loop on the left side of the jaw. The pressure then is 
equal on both sides, excepting so much as is produced by 
the friction between the loop and rope. Soft ground or 
snow is indispensable, especially when teaching Ihe colt to 
run around in so small a circle ; but it is astonishing how 
soon they learn to go with safety to themselves. They 
find out to a nicety how far the rein or rope will allow 
them to go, and will just keep it straight without trying 
to enlarge the circle in which they are moving. I have 
practiced colts in this way for many years, and have never 
been able to detect any injury to their legs from so doing. 
You mentioned having known the cui'b bit used to advan- 
tage with some trotters ; and I have known one at least 
that got a good deal of his trotting education in one of 
that character. 

A celebrated western horse, that has trotted low down 
in the twenties, and is thought by many enthusiastic ad- 
mirers to be able to cope successfully with the best of the 
eastern flyers, commenced his career when he could nei- 
ther trot fast, nor be rehed upon every time to do what he 
could, having a failing of buck-jumping whenever called 
on to go a little faster. He was sold for a trifle, very few 
recognizing him as a horse of any promise. The first races 
he trotted he was easily beaten, through his proclivity for 
going into the air. His owner, whose silvered hair and 
beard betokened that the vigorous days of manhood had 
passed, drove him on the road the following winter, and 



TKOTTING WITH A CUEB BIT. 181 

till late in the succeeding spring. In order to drive him 
easily, he used a curb bit, dashing down Michigan Avenue 
in a sleigh, taking the lead of all the speedy ones that con- 
gregated on that street of fashionable resort. No matter 
how icily the wind blew from the congealed surface of the 

lake, he was always on hand, and his " take care, ," 

reverberated above the merry tintinnabulation of the 
"bells, silver bells." When the frigid barrier was re- 
moved, and the clear liquid "broke into dimples, and 
laughed in the sun," from the perfumed wind that had 
not yet lost the aroma of the orange-blossoms on its way 
from the fervid South ; when the sails of many vessels 
loomed white against the horizon, and dark columns, Hke 
that which preceded the children of Israel by day, 
towered upward from the gaUant steamers that were 
plowing their way from the harbor ; when the birds were 
pairing, and the prairie-flowers making their first ajopear- 

ance, would be seen jogging leisurely through the 

sand on Wabash Avenue down the road by the "ribbed 
sands," where snug cottages nestle in the shade of fir 
and spruce, and where the climbing rose was showing its 
gTeen leaves on the trelhs, soon to shine resplendent in 
its gorgeous blossoms. The sleigh has given place to 
the hght wagon or sulky, but no change has taken place 
in the bit. Here is a good piece of road, and " take care, 

," is heard above the sounding of the surge, or the 

rattle of the wheels. The old man is waving his cane 
over the horse's back, like the baton of a leader of the 
grand orchestra. His white hair and long beard are 
flowing behind, like the streaming pennon of the pro- 
peller in the background, and his gesticulations are as 
violent as ever Julien displayed when the crash of cannon 
and the rattle of cymbals were keeping time to the brazen 
throats of a hundred instruments. Truly, the horse is going 
at a fearful rate ; nor has he time to buck-jump. The swing- 



182 HORSE PORTRAITURE 

ing cane is remembered, and he knows that a mis- 
take will surely change its direction from the horizontal 
to the perj^endicular, leaving its impress on the black and 
shining quarters. Predictions were rife that what little 
good was in the horse would be cramped out wjjfch the 
curb, or beat out with the cane ; but all such prognostica- 
tions proved false. He never afterwards lost a race ; and 
when rushing down the stretch a twenty " clip," I always 
thought he recked httle of the whip or the "g'lang" of his 
former drivers. It was visions of the waving cane and 
streaming hair that carried him along, impelled by the re- 
collection of a power he had been made to acknowledge. I 
would not take away a jot of the well-merited reputation 
the successful drivers of this horse have earned ; but I 
cannot quite shut my eyes to the importance of the les- 
sons he got from his owner, though administered in a way 
not considered the best by "horsemen." 

Pkeceptor. — Your episode is the best exemplar of the 
difficulty of saying what kind of a bit is best calculated to 
use, while trying to improve the trotting speed of a horse. 
In fact, when I commenced this conversation, I expected 
to be able to impart a great deal of information, but find 
that actual practice will be the only thing that will illus- 
trate the effect of different bits. What a variety of inven- 
tions I have seen, to cure a horse from carrying the tongue 
out of the mouth or over the bit, and all of them failures ! 
The best remedy that has come under my observation is 
the largest sized leather bit, filling up the mouth so that 
the horse is glad to keep the tongue in its proper place. 
When the mouth becomes sore in the angles of the 
lips, it is often a very troublesome matter to cure it. One 
of the best remedies is a wash made with a few drops of 
creosote, combined with diluted aqua ammonia ; and it is 
of great importance that the pressure of the bit should be 
removed. To effect this, I have the noseband of the bridle 



BITS FOR SORE MOUTHS. 183 

made of a thin steel plate, well padded, and covered with 
soft leather. On each side, a small steel pin makes a joint 
for another plate that extends down the cheek, and is at- 
tached to the bit, leaving a free motion forward and back- 
ward, but effectually stopping the bit from rising above 
where we intend it to stay. This is also a capital contri- 
vance where horses pull on one rein. When this arises 
from one side of the mouth being sore, or from the cal- 
louses I spoke of, horses generally bear on the side that is 
sore, and, by lowering the bit into a well portion of the 
mouth, not only gives the mouth ail opportunity of getting 
well, but greatly enhances the pleasui-e of driving. 

The celebrated writer, Mr. Brindley — "Harry Hieo- 
ver" — ^when apj)ealed to for a remedy to stop a mare 
puUing on one rain, recommended a snaffle, plain on one 
side, the other very much twisted, placing the twisted part 
on the side she pulled to, so as to punish that side, and 
render it as sensitive as the other. This advice I deem 
wrong ; and any one can convince himself of the fallacy 
of it, by observing that the animal tries to modify the pain 
of the pressure of the iron on the wound, by pulling till 
sensation is not so acute. Should the habit arise from 
one side of the mouth being calloused, then, by compelUng 
the bit to stay in another part, an opportunity is afforded 
for the thickening integuments to soften, just as the hard, 
horny palm of the blacksmith becomes soft when relieved 
from work. We will now take a retrospective glance at 
the first part of our training exercises, which is soon to be 
followed by a stage that will require still more strict atten- 
tion. Training is not alone, what some have defined it 
the art of increasing the bodily health and vigor to the 
highest pitch. If this were the case, the system would be 
benefited by continuing the exercises for an indefinite 
period; and, barring accidents, a horse would become faster 
and stronger the longer he was kept in train. This is true 



184 HOKSE PORTRAITURE. 

in a relative sense ; for, if the work is given judiciously, the 
animal will keep on improving till the summit is reached. 
Yet this is far short of the time a horse could be kept in 
robust health, if not called on for the display of his utmost 
speed and endurance. 

Enghsh trainers claim to be able to have the horse at 
his topmost rate, the very acme of condition, on a desig- 
nated day, but will not engage his staying there forty- 
eight hours longer. When this point is reached the bent 
bow must be unstrung, and that very carefully, or the re- 
coil will be more dangerous than the bracing requii-ed to 
bring it to bear the necessary strain. Training, then, is 
to enable the horse to do deeds, without injury to his 
health, that, before the preparation he was utterly inca- 
pable of perforrniDg, and, by giving a season of rest to 
recuperate the taxed faculties, render him capable of 
repeating the feat, till the time comes when years abridge 
his power to j)erform. Again : the trotter has the advan- 
tage of the race horse, in not requiring so long a time to 
recover ; the exertion of nerve and muscle not being so 
great. It is useless to argue that a fast-trotting gait is as 
tiresome as the nm. Many claim so without having taken 
steps to prove it ; Hke those who argued that a live fish 
would not increase the weight of a pail of water, when 
immersed in it, but that the " four-pounder," water and 
all, would only be the same as before the addition. All 
their arguments were of Uttle avail when the test of the 
balance was applied ; and any one who will bring trotting 
and running to a practical test will be satisfied which is 
the most arduous. 

It is very probable that Dexter could run in 2:18 1-5 
easier than he trotted in that time ; but run him nearly at 
his best speed for the same distance, and I will warrant 
the distress will be more apparent. This first stage, as I 



FAT FORMIKG NECESSARY. 185 

remarked previously, is a required probation, to enable 
the succeeding ones to be endured with benefit. 

Air, food, exercise, and a strict attention to cleanliness, 
are the great adjuncts in bringing all stages to a successful 
termination. While walking, there is less liability to get 
wrong, in comparison with the stage requiring faster work ; 
but walking can be prolonged tiU every muscle is inert 
and inelastic. The coal-heavers or heavy porters would 
need a good deal of attention and time to bring them to a 
point to show a speed in a foot race they naturally possess. 
The muscles, though capable of contracting with powerful 
effect, take time to do it ; and though strength is gained 
by walking, rapidity of action is lost. As all parts of the 
body are nourished and sustained by food and drink, it is 
of the highest moment that those kinds be used that are 
Dot only nutritious, but of the quality that give the charac- 
teristics we wish to develop. If fat only were required, the 
variety of food containing the most starch and sugar 
would be sought for. Fat is of essential service to a horse 
when commencing training, but only as a surplus that 
cannot be built up into muscle. That suj)erabundance 
of food which has been deposited in all the interstices be- 
tween the muscles, coating, and internal viscera, loading the 
lungs, has uses which, if we only avail ourselves of, will 
help us get the animal into condition. While we dimi- 
nish this, we must do it in a manner that wiU leave the 
muscles fuller and more pHable than they possibly could 
have been if it had been absent. The getting-rid of this 
fat will be the work of the succeeding stages of prepara- 
tion. In the preHminary stage, we must watch that it is 
not decreased, as that would denote want of health, or an 
insufficiency of food to meet the wastes of the system. Al- 
most every horse or colt should be able to take the amount 
of walking exercise yours are now getting. Some fretful, 
irascible ones, that would rapidly lose flesh from worry* 



186 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

ing, dancing, and fuming, would have to be walked b) 
themselves, or in a small enclosure. There are others 
with legs so weak, or having been injured, that give way 
from very little walking. If known to possess great speed, 
I would train such animals ; otherwise they would poorly 
pay for the trouble. The most powerful auxiliary to aid 
us in treating these is the Eoman or Tui-kish bath. With 
its aid, we are enabled to get rid of superfluous matter, 
and can train horses that would be exceedingly trouble- 
some by any other method. The Turkish bath, however, 
is rather an expensive adjunct to a training-stable intend- 
ed for the preparation of trotters. The tight room could 
be made, by taking extra pains in the construction of a 
box stall, by having matched double partitions, thus leav- 
ing a space for dead air. The furnace, and pipes for con • 
veying the heated air, would he expensive, and their man 
agement a source of trouble. If we train horses witl/ 
shaky foundations, some other method will have to be de- 
vised to keep them from giving way. What that course 
will be can only be determined by the wants of the patient, 
and the exigencies of the case. The hot-air bath, the vir- 
tues of which were so highly extolled a few years ago, has 
undoubtedly been the means of bringing horses to the 
post fit to run and win, that could not have stood the or- 
dinary preparation. I do not think it is of any service in 
horses that are sound and strong. I never look for it to 
come into general use, and in a trotting-stable, there would 
be less necessity for it than in cases where a sjoeedy unsound 
horse was wanted to merely run a dash of a mile or so, the 
winning of which would ensure a good deal of profit. A 
more proper time to enter into the discussion of this ques- 
tion will be when we are giving the horses their first sweats. 
At that time we will have the subject-matter fairly before 
us, and will endeavor to examine it in all its ramifications. 
Pupil. — At which period I will be all attention, as that 



DKIVIKO OX THE ROAD. 187 

has been the point that has troubled me the most. Often, 
when putting the sweaters on a horse, have I asked my- 
self the questions : Wliat are you going to accomplish ? 
Have you not carried this drain on the system far enough ? 
He goes the distance without showing undue labor of the 
lungs. It is true, many will say, he is not " drawn fine 
enough ;" but do not his performances show this is a 
mistake ? However, I will not trouble you with questions 
now, awaiting the time when I can see the advantages 
practically exemplified. I am aware — though I thank you 
for the reminder — of the importance of this preparatory 
stage, and shall watch closely each member of the stable, 
to see that his appearance merits your approbation when 
you return. The colts I can be driving, and hope, when 
you see their action, that you will be as favorably im- 
px'essed as you are with their form. 

Preceptor. — The few days' walk they have had, since the 
completion of their long journey on the cars, will be suffi- 
cient to remove the soreness incident thereto ; and they 
ought to learn something every time they are driven, that 
will bring them much nearer being trotters. So it is best 
to neglect no opportunity of tuition. The plan I would 
recommend would be to drive them, on the road, to a skele- 
ton wagon, and when you come to a smooth piece where the 
grade is descending, let them rattle along merrily, striving 
to keep them as nearly at their top speed as they can go 
without breaking. If you fall in company with some one 
who is willing to drive along-side, so much the better ; but 
never extend the brush farther than a quarter of a mile. 
They may be anxious to go along, yet, by restraining them, 
vou will keep up that feeling of pleasure, which will en- 
courage them to "try again," and at a better rate of 
speed. King, I hope to find more amenable than at pres- 
ent. He has been quite a study to me ever since I re- 
ceived so unfavorable an impression of his appearance 



188 HOKSE POETEAITUEE. 

He is like some of tliose old pictures, — the work of a mastei 
band, that never fairly display their beauties till j^atient 
study has discovered in them perfections of ai*t, that ap- 
peared at first sight a mere confused mass of colors. The 
colt requires the same study in order to bring out points 
of speed and durability. 

I will now bid you good-bye. On my way I will drop 
into the stable to give the Falcon my valediction. In 
two weeks I will return, and he will be the first horse I 
shall want to see harnessed. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

FALCON AO^D NEVER MIND ON THE ROAD; THE COLTS MAY AND 
DELLE ON THE TRACK. 

Pupil. — ^Well pleased am I, my worthy master, to see 
that the country trip has been of such great benefit to 
your personal appearance. You seem quite rejuvenated, 
and look as if the ravages of time for at least the last 
decade of years, had been obliterated. I can hardly believe 
your late asseveration, that all thoughts of matrimonial 
felicity have been banished from your mind, and think 
that some entrancing enchantress has fascinated you, till 
the return of youthful feehngs has been accompanied by 
the resemblance of manhood's prime. You vrould be set 
down by shrewd observers as stOl being on the sunny side 
of forty, and I only know one feehng that can work such 
a metamorphosis. 

Peecept(5e. — ^Your surmises are quite wide of the mark, 
though there are sufficient reasons why the two weeks' 
absence from the " sea-girt shore " has been attended with 
such beneficial results, and I can assui'e you that my looks 
do not behe my feehngs. I feel like a four-year-old race 
horse, and walk as if fifty pounds of useless flesh had 
been removed, almost enabling me to rival the old light- 
ness of step when tag and base ball were so keenly 
rehshed. 

When I left herej I took the boat to Piermont, and 
thence the New York and Erie cars to the pleasant vil- 
lage which my old friend "Rex," of Knickerbocker fame 

9 



190 HOESE PORTKAITUEE. 

has enlivened witli his presence for so many years. The 
scenery along the line I will not try to describe, as you 
are familiar with it, and wUl agree with me that the jour- 
ney is well worth taking, if for no other reason than to 
enjoy its beauties. I was conveyed by a fi'iend the ten 
miles that intervened between the village and the place 
of my final destination. This was the first time I had 
seen the spot at this enchanting season of the year ; and, 
much as I had admired its beauties in midsummer, and 
the grandeur of the winter display, I was totally unpre- 
pared foi- the marvelous splendor that now greeted my 
eye. Your Mississippi bluffs, rolling river, floating islands 
of verdure, towering oaks, and fragrant crab-apples, may 
show on a larger scale, and your seat that overlooks the 
plateau of thousands of acres of billowy grass and prairie 
flowers may be very fine ; but for quiet beauty and har- 
mony of detail, there is no place that will equal it on the 
Father of Waters from the Gulf of Mexico to the Lake of 
Itasca. Imagine a little lake — so small, indeed, that its 
length hardly rivals the width of your majestic stream — 
nestling among emerald hills. The hill in the background 
is covered with a dense growth of hemlock, the dark green 
of which is relieved by the bright hue of the deciduous 
trees, now in their most brilliant garments, while tall 
pines shoot their spires from the summit away up in the 
blue firmament. The hill to the right is carpeted as 
thickly with grass as the famed pastures you have de- 
scribed; groups of scattered trees breaking the uniformity, 
with large dark-colored rocks beetling from the side in 
bold relief. Large flocks of sheep are grazing on the sides 
of the hill, the lambs playing and gamboling as if every 
minute of their existence were too precious to be lost. To 
the left, the hills slope gradually, forming a little valley 
through which the outlet runs. Away in the distance, as 
far as the eye can distinguish, the hiUs swell into magni- 



A COUNTRY VILLA. 191 

fcude enough to be called mountains, and it is difficult to 
f,ell where land and sky meets. 

Not a breath of air ruffled this fairy sheet the morning 
of my arrival ; and hills, woods, and sky were reflected 
from it, as faithfully as the most polished mirror gives 
back the form that stands before it. The few fleecy, snow- 
white clouds that himg motionless away in the zenith 
looked just as distant in the depths of the water, and 
almost gave you the sensation of being above the clouds, 
looking down on terrestrial scenery. 

The beach is white sand, almost rivahng the snow in 
fau'ness ; its contour on the wooded side is a sweeping 
curve, while that towards you is broken into bays and in- 
lets. All the way round the lake, the underwood is of 
dense growth, and both the broad-leaved and common 
lautel extend quite to the water's edge. I cannot picture 
the bloom, though I doubt if the Vale of Cashmere ever 
equaled the briUiant display. Large crimson masses of 
flowers in gorgeous profusion, alternated with as abun- 
dant blossoms of snowy white, so heavy that they fairly 
laden the twigs, and rest on the silver water. At the foot 
of the hill, where the cattle and sheep are grazing, — or 
-rather on a slight eminence this side, — is an irregularly 
constructed ItaUan villa. The irregularity of the structure 
makes it more in harmony with the scene. The western 
wing is surmotmted with a dome and cupola. To the 
east, the building is not so high, and about the centre is 
a large conservatory, the glare of the glass mellowed by 
the cHmbing plants inside. On the very eastern extremity 
rise two square turrets, between which is a colossal statue 
of an antlered buck, the attitude being that of watch- 
ful rest. Along the south wall of the building is a sort 
of battlement, forming supports for marble statues, repre- 
senting nearly all the gods of Heathen Mj^hology. They 
were sculptured in Italy, having been captui'ed by a pri- 



192 HORSE POKTEAITURE. 

vateer when on their way to adorn the park of some Eng- 
lish nobleman, and are of rare workmanship. The lawn 
in front of the building extends to the coppice that makes 
such an aj)propriate setting to the pellucid water. A car- 
riage-road is cut in a sinuous form through the tui-f of 
the lawn, and vases and statues are interspersed beneath 
the trees. The road leads to a summer-house on the 
bank of the lake ; the house is ornamented with rejoresen- 
tations of fish and fruit beautifully carved. Towards the 
lake there is a ballustrade, several steps leading from it 
to the water ; tiny boats are moored there, the white sails 
hanging listlessly against the masts. A walk leads fi'om 
this summer-house adown the bank, the laturel meeting 
overhead, and forming an arch of wondrous beauty. Look- 
ing up, there is nothing to be seen but a canopy of bril- 
liant colored flowers, intermingled with polished dark- 
green leaves. The walk leads to the point of land that 
forms the bay on the eastern shore, which sweeps round 
in a sharp curve to the left. At this point is another 
ornamental summer-house, but on a different plan from 
the larger. The lower part of it is hidden from the house 
by a group of pines, though when you ascend the stairs to 
the upper story you are more entranced than ever with 
the different views seen from that point. Every inch of 
the lake is under your eye, and through openings in the 
trees detached pictures — any of which, if truthfully depic- 
ted, would make a reputation for an artist — are visible. 
The house is only partially in view, the portion seen being 
that which makes the most beautiful background to the 
eylvan picture. The section of the lawn seen through this 
vista is perfect in its details, — trees, shrubs, flowers, vases 
and statuary, aU being in the very best places for efiiect. 
You turn to another opening in the iiines, and the tur- 
rets, dome, and images on the house stand in bold relief 
against the western sky. To show the master's hand that 



SILVER LAKE. 193 

planned all this, a circular group of Lombardy poplars 
lose their stiffness and come in for their share of admi- 
ration, which I could never award them in any other 
situation. In the rear of the villa, and between it and 
the pubHc road, farm buildings and offices give the 
place still more the look of repose, beauty, and fitness, 
that so eminently belongs to it. But if I try to describe 
all the beauties of this cherished spot, you will still think 
I have seen some apj)arition that has made me romanti- 
cally crazy. So I will not say a word more till we take oui- 
accustomed smoke on the piazza after dinner, when I will 
give you an insight into the pursuits that have obliterated 
the marks of years, and left my feelings so youthful. So 
have the Falcon harnessed, — he must have had his morn- 
ing's walk by this time, — and I am very anxious to see how 
he will deport himseK. 

Pupiii. — The boys have had him harnessed for some 
time. The wagon has been run out from the shed, await- 
ing your orders. I shall anxiously look for the continu- 
ation of the history of your trip, as I am still more certain 
that I have divined the right cause. Either this is the 
case, or you have viewed no mortal scene, but have been 
transported to that land where the famous Christian 
Knight was held in thrall by a garland of flowers. In the 

place of the Erie Railroad, and the wagon from B , did 

you not encounter an old man with silver hair reaching 
to his girdle, who took you in a boat, fashioned like a sea- 
shell, which drove with you on " without a wave or wind ?" 
Or, did you meet with a damsel — 

" With long, rich tresses curling 'round her brow, 
And garments beauteous as the bird of Ind, — 
She through the ocean swifter than the wind. 
Or wing of eagles, did direct your track." 

Preceptor. — This silver lake and scenery, far beyond 
my powers of description, actually exists, and is no more 



194 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

of a myth than your Iowa farm. We will have no more 
talk on the subject, however, till the time appointed. How 
gently Falcon consents to be harnessed and hitched to 
the wagon ! From his extreme nervousness I supposed 
he would not be so docile at first. 

Pupil. — Six months have elapsed since the harness was 
on him ; and to give you further proof of his natural do- 
cility, I will be much gratified if you will get into the 
wagon and give him his first drive. 

Preceptor. — To that I have no objections, though I 
shall insist on your being the reinsman in future, unless 
I want to know fi-om actual trial how a horse handles. 
Whoa ! my boy, a httle more to the right. These skeletons 
are not the handiest things in the world to get in. Now, 
sii', you can go along at your leisiu-e. 

Pupiii. — I need not ask how you like him, as I see satis- 
faction in every hne of your countenance, — ^though that 
may be attributed to the recollections of your late visit. 

Preceptor. — Like is hardly a strong enough expression 
to convey an idea of the pleasure there is in driving such 
a horse as this. He has the form of my model roadster, 
as well as every other quality that could be shown in so 
short a drive, though I have done one thing I should have 
scolded you for doing. Jogging down the road for a few 
miles about a six-minute gait, from which he never varied, 
going along as true as a first-class piece of machinery, I 
came to a place that was as smooth as a well-kept track. 
I could not resist the temptation to see if his motion was 
equally precise when going faster. I never saw so true 
a mover ; he appeared only to be gliding along ; and had 
it not been for the buzz of the wheels through the air, I 
should have greatly underrated the speed we were going. 
He missed not a step, and was as obedient to the sHghtest 
touch of the reins as the best family horse that could be 
found. I will venture what Httle rex^utation I have, on 



FALCON OK THE ROAD. 195 

inf\img a Number One trotter of him. There is nothing to 
dire^*-t about his management at present. You can gauge 
him to any gait you wish, and the next two weeks we will 
give him ten or twelve miles a day, at the rate of about a 
mUe in five minutes ; towards the last of that time, mov- 
ing him somewhat faster. 

Pupil. — Wlien he is driven on the track, I am afraid he 
will change your opinion, giving further proof of the effect 
of bad management in the first part of a horse's education. 
The road, to him, has been a pleasant interlude to the tor- 
tures of the course, and all his remembrances connected 
with it are of a pleasant character. There he has been 
treated with uniform kindness, and when he has been 
allowed to extend himself in a little burst of speed, it has 
beer, done without pulling at him ; or, if he happened to 
leave his feet, there was no jerking or sawing, allowing 
him to recover as suited his own humor. Of the track, his 
recollections are not so pleasant ; puUing, snatching, and 
fighting are his most vivid reminiscences of that period. 

Peeceptoe. — For that very reason we will confine him 
to working on the track, and will only vary it with road 
work when the course is too muddy to use. I know he 
will jog there as kindly as on the road; and by letting him 
time the short brushes to suit his own notions, we will get 
him to reconsider the verdict that pronounces the track a 
place especially invented for the torture of horses. I now 
want to see Never Mind in the shafts; and in order to give 
him as fair a chance to make a true impression as the 
Falcon, will also drive him. 

Pupil. — He also has not been harnessed in several 
months; and before you get behind him, I want to observe 
that he never has been much used on the road. I tell 
you this, so that you will not be prejudiced against him. 
He is not a good road horse, and goes stumbling along at 
a road gait that is very provoking. When on the track 



196 HORSE PORTEAITUEE. 

at full speed, he makes a fine appearance, carrying his 
head high, and going in grand style every way. 

Peeceptoe. — I perceive you are afraid I will get a poor 
opinion of the horse, with his queer name. You promised 
me the reason for thus calhng him, and I have had it on 
the tip of my tongue to ask you to gratify my ciu'iosity. 
You need not fear, however, that I will condemn him 
without a fair trial. I do not look for first-class trotters 
to be necessarily of the same excellence on the road. 
Many of the best are not pleasant to drive there, — most 
of them for want of practice, and others from being badly 
driven. 

Pupil. — When you finish your description of your recent 
trij), I will recount why this fellow was called Never Mind. 
Before he is hitched to the wagon, I must acquaint you with 
anotlier bad trick he has, though luckily he has not had 
frequent oj^portunity to practice it. When harnessed, if 
not allowed to start right off, he will rush back at a tre- 
mendous gait, and it is astonishing how fast he can per- 
form this crawfish movement. If the wagon or sulky hits 
anything, he is sure to break it or the harness. When I 
had him at home, the inside of the track was planted in 
com. At the time I speak of, it was just high enough to 
commence tasseling, — say six or seven feet. In making his 
retrograde rush, he backed the sulky into the corn. The 
slight resistance led him to think he could break it, and 
back he threw his whole weight in the breeching. Hear- 
ing nothing but the crushing of the com, and not the 
crash he expected, he kept backing at a "right lively gait" 
and never stopped till the entire field was traversed, nearly 
three hrmdred yards. As the sullfy struck the back-stretch- 
and there was no longer any resistance fi-om the standing 
corn, he was fairly nonplussed; and stopping a moment, as 
if cogitating on the probable reason why the sulky was 
not broken, he swung round, and jogged o£f as if nothing 



THE MAEE THAT WOULD NOT STAND. 197 

unusual had taken place. We had no more trouble with 
him the rest of the season. I do not think he will make 
the attempt now, as by never jDunishing him, or trying to 
force him forward, always hitching him where he could 
have leeway, and trying to attract his attention till every- 
thing is ready for him to go, he has nearly forgotten it. 
In connection with this, and brought to my remembrance 
by recounting Never Mind's memorable backing-out 
scrape, I will relate a circumstance something analogous. 
A neighbor of mine had a bay mare that would match 
one of mine. Both were good steppers, and I finally suc- 
ceeded in trading for her. On the completion of the deal, 
he told me that the mare had only one failing, which was, 
that she would not stand when a person was getting into 
the wagon. I told him that was annoying, but I had 
cured several of the same habit. The next day I harnessed 
her to a road sulky, and drove eight miles and back. The 
trip was made satisfactorily. The day following, a friend 
was to accompany me a few miles to see a quarter race. 
We put the mare to a top wagon by the side of a steady 
old trotter ; I threw the top back, the mare standing very 
quietly, though as soon as I took up the reins, she wanted 
to start. I said whoa, very gently, and accompanied the 
command with a slight pull. Down she dropped, as 
though she had been struck on the head with an axe, 
lying quietly, and apparently comfortably to herself. I 
could not help laughing, provoking as the situation was. 
My fi'iend did not see the reason for being amused, telling 
me he would give her a good thrashing in j)lace of laugh- 
ing at her. I told him I was not laughing at the mare, 
but at my own ignorance. The man I got her of told me 
literally what she would do, and I had not sense enough 
to rmderstand him. I supposed she would rear and fi"et 
when restrained from starting ; it never coming into my 
head that she would di-op down, and lie perfectly quiet. 

9* 



198 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

We unliitched lier from the wagon ; and from the sullen 
way she laid, it was apparent she expected a beating, and 
was going to endure it like a stoic. She never ofiered to 
rise while we were divesting her of the harness, and I made 
up my mind what to do before the last strap was unbuck- 
led. Old Quaker, her companion, looked on surprised. 
We had broken many a colt by his side, yet this was some- 
thing new to him, as his looks plainly showed. We 
strapped both the mare's fore legs up, fastening the pas- 
tern to the arm, brought both hind legs up against her 
belly, securing them there so they could not be moved in 
the least, put a strong bridle on, the bit having long check 
piecej?, drawing her head up and on one side, where that 
was also fastened. A bundle of straw was put under her 
head so that it would be supported without puUing on the 
rein. When all was completed she could not move an 
inch, though she never made the attempt. We put an- 
other horse in by the side of Quaker, leaving strict orders 
for no one to go near her, and went on our way to the 
quarter race. Four hours elapsed before we returned. 
The straps were removed, and she was bid to arise. She 
did not need a second invitation, looking very foolish 
when she regained her legs. This was the most cruel 
operation I ever subjected a horse to ; but in her case it 
was effectual. I kept her some time, and she never 
showed any desire to repeat the trick. She afterwards 
went to New Orleans trotting in forty, acquiring a good 
deal of celebrity as a safe and reliable road mare. 

Peeceptoe. — That was rather severe, yet not so bad as 
beating her as severely as some would have done. I 
should have misunderstood her case, too, and would have 
been bothered to know how to cui-e a trick of that de- 
scription. Horses frequently throw themselves; tliis mare, 
as I understand the case, was not so violent, and the stoH- 
dity she displayed showed a stubbornness that would have 



NEVERMIND AND JANE. 199 

been hard to conquer iu any other way. The account you 
give of Never Mind's propensity is not very flattering to 
his breaker, and I hope we will not be compelled to devise 
any other treatment than that you have pursued. The 
boys had better not put up his check till after I get in the 
wagon. Don't hold his head to awaken his suspicion that 
we are expecting him to do something wrong. Now I am 
ready. That start is certainly quiet enough. 

Pupil. — ^Your drive this time has been of longer dura- 
tion. I presume you have gone over the same ground au 
you did with the Falcon. 

Preceptor. — I made the same trip, but jogged slower, 
and did not require him to show anything faster than a 
very moderate gait. He jogs like a fox trotting, and for 
anything I have seen is worthy of more commendation 
than I was led to infer from your remarks. When I 
turned him around, he was in something of a hurry to get 
back, yet was very bidable, and seemed to enjoy the drive. 
He will be the first one we will scrape, being fatter, and 
requiring longer time to rid him of his superfluities. Jane, 
w-e will not drive till to-morrow. I promised to rig her so 
she could be jogged without requiring any very great out- 
lay of strength to restrain her. The plan we wiU adopt 
will be to keep her walking till she is harnessed, starting 
her the reverse way of the track, using a chain bit ; and 
whenever she goes faster than wanted, bring her to a full 
stop. It will require some patience for her to learn to go 
slow, though it is of the first importance she should be 
taught. After a couple of months' steady work I have no 
doubt she will be all we can ask for in that respect. The 
colts we will work in the track, so that I can watch their 
action. Chpper, I am glad to see, has improved wonder- 
fully. He looks as though he had also made a trip into 
the country. King, too, has "come out of the ashes," 
and is not only looking better, having nearly got rid of 



200 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

bis long coat, but bis prominent eye bas a calmer look. I 
bave missed seeing tbe mode of operation tbat bas tbus 
transformed bim, and will bave to be contented to bear 
bow so mucb bas been accomplisbed. 

Pupil. — I bave worked witb bim every spare moment 
since yon bave been gone, and now tbink tbere will be no 
further trouble in eitber bandling or driving bim. It bas 
resulted, as I expected, in one way. He will now grow and 
tbi'ive, and I venture to say bis most intimate acquaintance 
will fail to know bim tbree montbs from now. Tbe jour- 
ney down partially tamed bim, so tbat be would stand 
wbile a surcingle was laid across bis back. After due cau- 
tion, I got a roller buckled on bim tbat bad a billet and 
buckle to fasten tbe cbeck-rein to. A blind bridle, witb 
a long pair of driving reins, just as I bave described in 
breaking tbe colts on tbe breeding-farm, was used. Wben 
first brougbt, out be did not like tbe idea, of taking tbe 
precedence, but wanted to be wbere be could watcb every 
one tbat was around bim ; so anotber rein was put on, one 
of tbe boys going before to lead bim, wbile I took tbe 
reins and let bim feel a very sligbt pressure on tbe bit. 
Tbe blinds preventing bim seeing in tbe rear, be soon 
learned to beed tbe suggestions of tbe bit, and would go 
wberever directed. I Avill venture to say I bave walked 
miles enougb bebind bim in tbe last two weeks to carry me 
to tbe spot wbere tbe Erie road and spring wagon took 
you so mucb more easily. In a few days we were able to 
partially clean bim, tbe good effects of wbicb are so plainly 
visible. As be will now suffer bimself to be beld by tbe 
bit, wear tbe wbole barness, and allow tbe crupper to be 
put on, I sball bave no hesitation in placing bim in tbe 
sbafts of tbe breaking-sulky, taking every precaution, of 
coui"se, tbat we can to prevent injury to bimself or tbe ve- 
hicle. Tbe other colts I bave driven regularly, eitber on 
the road or track, and as the weather has continued so 



BENEFITS OF GEAZIJN^G. 201 

fine, have worked them more on the track than you re- 
commended, it being more convenient and occupying less 
time than when going on the road. None of them have 
given me any trouble, all eating and drinking heartily. I 
increased their feed a little, and have also added an ear 
of corn to their evening meal. CHpper has had a run 
every day to get quite a bite of grass, and the others have 
been allowed to graze a little twice a week. 

Peeceptoe. — A very good idea, which I hke better than 
giving so many bran mashes. Both keep the bowels 
open ; the bran irritating the mucous membrane of the 
stomach, causing a greater flow of the gastric juices, while 
the grass effects the same object in a milder manner. 
English trainers lay gTcat stress on keeping their horses 
full of "good hard meat," which probably in their chmate 
is essential to bring them into proper condition. That 
they understand the art is undeniable, as the appearance 
and performances of their horses prove. Our hotter and 
drier chmate requii'es changes. Nearly aU of oiu- trainers 
practice giving at intervals small quantities of succulent 
food ; grass and green corn blades being in general use. 
Van Leer, who trained Peytona, Liatunah, Saartain, &c., 
practiced taking his horses out of the stable at unseason- 
able hours — often in the night — to graze. He was suc- 
cessful, the benefit of the grass being greater than the ills 
resulting fi'ora breaking in on their rest. The question 
of green food, mashes, etc., we wiU talk about when we 
have more time. The morning is wearing away. Get 
your colts out, and let me see them move. 

Pupil. — We will commence vath the oldest, — the same as 
in my younger days, when the sulphur and treacle were 
dosed out in the spring, and all the children, comprising 
a large family, were placed in a row, none escaping their 
share of the compound. I will jog May twice around, and 
let her step up and down the stretch at her best gait. I 



202 HOKSE POKTKAITUEE. 

want you to see her move both ways of the track, and how 
she changes her feet when she gets round the curve, and 
has straight worli before her. 

Pbeceptor. — She has a singular movement indeed. Part 
of the time her gait could not be bettered, which is espe- 
cially the case when she trots fast down the stretch. She 
has more speed than I looked for, and showed at least a 
thirty-five gait. We must discover the cause why she 
does not keep that stroke up, and when once found, can 
devise some remedy. She has not cut herself anywhere, 
and we cannot have that guide to direct us, though, in all 
probabihty, fear oi doing so is what induces her to change. 
If all your thoroughbreds had such knee-action as she 
has, you might well look for them to make trotters. 
Perfection of form in a horse is rarely to be found ; and 
we often hear the remark made, " I do not care how he 
looks, if he can only go fast enough." A few crooked, 
ill-shaped brutes go fast, though very seldom it is that 
they both can go and stay. This mare exemphfies the 
necessity there is for shape as well as blood. Her fore- 
hand is superb : nor do I see a place you coiild change her 
configuration, till you come back to her loin. Hence, the 
action of her fore legs and the carriage of her head, is 
admirable. The ragged hip and sloping quarters, though 
offensive to the eye, are not detrimental to speed. She is 
wide across the stifles, and they are low enough to insure 
a free motion of the joint. The hock is wide and strong, 
and the muscles of the thigh and gaskin are all that could 
be desired. The hocks, however, have a wrong set ; they 
stand too close together, while the feet are thrown quite 
a distance apart, the toes very much turned out. The 
consequence is, that, when going around a turn, she cannot 
avoid hitting herself with the fore foot. To remedy this, 
she throws her quarters around, placing the off hind foot 
between the front ones, and loses the length of stride she 



mat's action with her feet. 203 

has when going straight. We will try what a change of 
shoes will do for her, having those for her hind feet con- 
siderably heavier than the ones she now wears, hoping the 
higher action they will cause, will in her case result bene- 
ficially. When these are put on, we will have to watch 
her action very carefully ; and if that does not effect a 
cure, boots will have to be resorted to. As I have already 
told you, I do not like to use boots when they can be got 
along without ; they cramp a horse when going fast, and 
much care is required in their construction to prevent 
them chafing the skin. Unfortunate^, there are cases 
when they cannot be dispensed with,* and many that re- 
quire a great deal of ingenuity to fit them properly to the 
place intended to be covered. Cutting between the coronet 
and upper pastern joint is very bad ; that place being so 
difficult to protect with a boot, the motion of the joint, 
united to the tenderness of the sldn, causing abrasion al- 
most sure to follow. I think a very hght buck-skin roller, 
made large, and stuffed with deer-hair, will also be of ad- 
vantage. The wound — when she cuts on the place you 
mentioned — is probably made with the inner edge of the 
shoe on the near fore foot; and as an additional protection, 
we will have that part of the shoe rounded, and set a little 
inside the crust. You tell me she never cuts when driven 
on the road; and I noticed, when coming towards me, that 
her motion was regular. She necessarily must do the 
damage, then, when going round the turn ; and by using 
the heavier shoe she may be enabled to go clear. Ask any 
horseman how a horse moves his legs in the trot, and the 
ready answer will be, that the left fore foot and right hind 
one move simultaneously, and when they strike the ground 
the others are elevated, carrying the body along. This is 
very true when the pace is slow ; when it becomes fast, 
and a horse is stretching from sixteen to twenty feet, there 
must be a bound similar to the running horse, as no horse 



204 HOESK PORTEAITTJEE. 

can possibly have tliat immense stride otherwise. It is 
apparent, then, that all the feet must be off the ground at 
the same time. I have often watched to see if I could 
determine whether the feet passed each other when off or 
on the ground. I am inclined to think the latter position 
is correct, though I cannot say positively. In a gallop, 
each foot strikes the ground in rotation, followed by a 
bound. The sound a running horse makes can be imita- 
ted very accui'ately by placing the hand on a table, strilfing 
first with the httle finger, and at equal intervals ^ith the 
others, dwelling a httle after the fore finger has been 
brought down, which answers to the spring that marks 
the duration of each stride. The hind legs, in galloping, 
must be thrown forward when the body is in the aii", 
touching the ground very nearly as soon as the fore ones, 
and, at the moment of contact, being in a j)roper position 
to propel the animal along. Horses sometimes, when mn- 
ning, cut themselves on the inside of the hock, frequently 
between that and the pastern. This is termed speedy cut, 
as it is evident that a horse must be making violent efforts 
when the hind legs are tlu'own so much in advance of the 
front feet. Should May cut, as I suppose she does, thiaist- 
ing the hind foot between the fore feet and partially imder 
the near one, it will show that the legs are not moved at 
the same instant ; and if we make the stroke of the pro- 
pelling hmo from a higher cuiwe, she will either avoid 
having it wounded, or the injury will be in a different 
' place, where I hope it will be easier protected. 

Pupil. — I think youi' siu'mises are correct as to the 
cause of the injury. WTien experimenting with the dif- 
ferent kinds of boots which I have tried on her, I daubed 
her pastern with white paint, thinking it would show the 
place that gave the blow by adhering to it. The paint, I 
found, would be rubbed oft' without staining any place I 
could discover, which of course, would be the case if \i 



MAY ON THE ROAD. 205 

was done with the ground surface of the shoe. I have 
blamed the short turns of a half-mile track — where she 
has received what little trotting-edueation she has had — 
for doing the mischief. The faulty set of the hocks may 
have increased the evil, yet it is certain, that, when diiven 
fast on the road, she never sidles or brushes a haii-. I feel 
positive that if this difficulty can be overcome, she will 
make a very fast trotter. 

Preceptor. — We must not ascribe all to the track. Fast 
horses, and those with perfect action, have been in the 
same situation, never having seen anything but a half- 
mile course, where they received their whole train- 
ing. The two united have operated badly in May's case, 
and let us hope, that, having now a full mile, with easy 
tiu'ns, we can shape her into the fast trotter you fancy her 
capable of making. 

Pupil. — I will now drive Delle, and will have to jog her 
rather longer than May before I can show you her true 
manner of going. \Vhen I purchased her, at three years 
old, the man who bred her had irritated her so much, 
that it was quite unsafe to attempt harnessing her in the 
stable. When she saw any one approaching her with the 
harness, she would rear as high as the halter rein would 
permit, flying about the stall perfectly fi'antic. By taking 
her out doors, she permitted the harness to be put on with 
very little trepidation, and in two weeks the uniform 
kindness she met with eradicated the nervousness acquired 
from the attempted coercion by her owner. I now direct 
the boys to harness her some Httle time before she is i^e- 
quired to come out, and I think the wearing of the har- 
ness in the stall has had some effect in tranquihzing her. 

Preceptor. — She moves beautifully, and has a great 
deal of speed for a colt that has not had much handling. 
I can discover no peculiarity in her gait that requires 
modification. She will make a trotter almost of her own 



206 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

accord, the only thing being to keep her in bounds, and 
teach her not to rush off her feet in endeavoring to go 
faster than she can. She does not touch anywhere, prov- 
ing that a horse can be driven on a short turn without 
necessarily spoiling him, — though I heartily agree with you 
that a half-mile track ought never to be built, especially 
where we expect to teach colts to trot. The morning is 
now too far advanced to see Oriole and Mavourneen 
move. We will wend our way dinner-ward, and after 
partaking of this important meal, I will recount how I 
spent my time while in the country. 

Pupil. — I have fancied that Delle went too low, and 
thought that perhaps heavier shoes than she has been ac- 
customed to wear might be of benefit. When there is dust 
on the track, she will leave the mark of her hind toe foi 
quite a distance after she picks the foot up. 

Peeceptoe. — I noticed she did that, though not when at 
full speed. The ease and grace of movement she displays, 
suits me exactly ; she would almost carry a tumbler of 
water on her loins without spilhng it. She is so symme- 
trically formed, that her body is carried along level, with- 
out any perceptible motion. The legs and feet do all the 
work. Count D'Orsay said that a gentleman should never 
dance higher than his loins ; and a horse that either gal- 
lops or trots without bodily contortion, certainly does the 
work easier, and ought to go faster. 



CHAPTEE XV. 

JOTJRNET TO THE COUNTRY — MR. P. AND HIS DAUGHTERS. 

Peeceptoe. — As I look back at tlie time spent in the 
country, so devoid of excitement, I can hardly hope to 
mterest you by detailing the incidents of my trip. Simple 
pleasui'es and pastimes become dull when rehearsed ; and 
I rather fancy you will be disappointed in the recital, 
wondering at the simphcity of my taste, that could find 
so much to enjoy in a quiet daily routine. But the repose 
attending a short residence in the country is dehcious 
to one who has been accustomed to a life of excitement. 
Long continued, its enervating influence might induce 
ennui, — a fearful infliction, so I should judge by the de- 
scription of those who have suffered from it. Thank Pro- 
vidence, my hfe has been too active ever to become ac- 
quainted with the countenance of this dreaded demon. 
But this feeling of repose can only be appreciated by 
those who have lived long enough to fully understand 
the art of Hving. To throw your fishing-rod aside, and lie 
down on the mossy bank of the woodlawn stream, and 
there, while peering through the openings in the thick 
foliage, and watching the Hght clouds high up in the blue 
firmament, the liquid murmur of the water and the sough 
of the gentle breeze in the branches will lull without tir- 
ing, for they are not a monotone, but varied as the breath- 
ings of the seolian harp, and more silvery in their tones. 



208 HORSE PORTRAITURE, 

To one whose frame has been racked with pain, the nerves 
vibrating with a metallic harshness, until the opiate so 
magically changes the feelings, and the bed of sufiering is 
turned to the couch of the sybarite, without a crumpled 
rose-leaf to mar its luxuriousness, — to such a one I could 
offer a metaphor or two that would portray my feelings. 
It is as when the child sinks on its mother's breast to 
slumber, smiling at the rustling of the angel's wing that 
is to watch it through life, and is whispering bright words 
describing the beauties of their joint home in Paradise ; 
or as, when the strong swimmer, vainly wresthng in his 
agony, till the limit of human endurance is reached, sinks 
under the gui'gling wave, down, down, without pain, the 
music of the sirens in his ears, and he floats in choral 
depths fully realizing that he is at last at rest ; or as, when 
the good Christian throws off the armor in which he has 
battled, and sees the golden gates open, and the glory 
that surrounds the awful throne making his final pathway 
bright, thronged with the loved and lost that have j)re- 
ceded him o'er the " silent river," and the ties that bound 
nim to this beautiful world become as the glossy filaments 
that sparkle on the dewy meadow in the morning sun- 
beams. 

The fi'iend to whom I am indebted for the pleasure of 
my visits — which are made semi-annually — hves in a neat 
cottage, surmounting a gentle eminence at the foot of the 
lake which I have so poorly described. I first made his 
acquaintance in the forests of Northern Maine, where we 
became associated in a hunting expedition. Many a moose 
and caribou fell at the report of his rifle, and I never met 
any one who was so passionately attached to the sports of 
the field. Small and fragile in form, it was astonishing 
how nerve and spirit supplied the place of bone and 
muscle, as he was the hardiest and most untiring of any 
one in the camp. Day after day, he would don the snow- 



THE COUJSTTEY HOST. 209- 

shoe and heavy double-barreled rifle, and when the ardor 
of all the rest of the party was dampened by a day of ex ■ 
treme fatigue, his never flagged. No matter how thict 
the air was laden with the trembling snowflakes, or how 
icily the northern blast rushed over the barrens, out he 
would go, never returning to camp till the shadows were 
lost in the murky darkness. As I have instanced before, 
he possessed that unseen power which enables the 
thoroughbred to race on when the vision has become dim, 
and the physical machine is kept in motion by the force 
of the mind that knows not failure. He is the scion of 
one of those ai-istocratic Philadelphia famiUes, who, though 
warm in their adherence to Washington and the country 
during the struggle for independence, yet kept up the 
exclusiveness of the nobility they assisted to ostracise. 
With the manners of the class from which he sprang, he 
unites a warmth of heart and disposition that prompts 
him to fraternize with whoever he thinks worthy, no mat- 
ter how lowly he ranks in the social scale. This grand 
quality, united to the wondrous nerve power I have men- 
tioned, endeared him to me so much that I seduously cul- 
tivated his acquaintance. I am happy to state that he 
reciprocated the strong friendship, and ever since — for 
many years — I have been a visitor at his house. In the 
winter we hunt deer, foxes and rabbits, the baying hound 
fining the crisp air with music as we stand on the run- 
ways ; and in the summer, going far into the " pathless 
woods " of that section, enticing the speckled beauties of 
the brook, and breathing the pure night air on the hem- 
lock boughs, — a couch you are so well acquainted with, and 
join with me in extolling. During the winter, we alternate 
our hunting in the vicinity of the lake — which is famous 
for being the resort of game — to ground more distant. 
Thus I have become acquainted with other famihes who 
hold the highest place in my affections. Winter, which 



210 HORSE POETRAITURE. 

SO many dread the approach of, to me is as enjoyable as 
the more balmy months of summer ; and the many haj)py 
days and nights I have spent in the most dehghtful social 
intercourse with these friends, mark it as a time that will 
always be green in the tablets of memory, the remem- 
brance being a "joy foreyer." 

During this last visit, my friend's business was so urgent 
that I could not assent to his absenting himself from im- 
poi-tant duties to lounge the time away with me ; so, when 
tired of fishing in the Silver Lake, I would mount a horse, 
and ride six or seven miles to the house of a gentleman, — 
one of my especial favorites. He is nearly seventy years 
old, yet with feehngs as youthful as many possess when 
half a century younger. His personal appearance is my 
beau-ideal of matiu-ed, manly beauty. Age has taken 
away none of the lines that marked him for a model in 
his younger days, while it has added the glory of silver 
hair and beard. But I may as well describe him minutely, 
as I see you are somewhat anxious to know whether my 
eye is as correct in the knowledge of human perfection, 
as you admit it was in finding the Falcon the type of 
whatever is super-excellent in the horse. This old gentle- 
man is by birth English, and his appearance denotes his 
nationality. His height is a trifle over five feet ten, — the 
proper elevation for a man, as sixteen hands is for the 
horse that carries him. His shoulders are broad, conveying 
the idea of strength, without being disjoroportioned to the 
rest of his body. His limbs are long and muscular, term- 
inating in medium-sized feet and hands. There is a little 
tendency to embonpoint, just giving the waistcoat the right 
set without any approach to corpulency. You imagine, if 
taken away from country life and made a bank president 
or railway director, he would be at least a score of pounds 
heavier, and your surmises are probably correct. You 
can see that daily exercise in the open air gives that 



THE OLD COUJS^TRY GENTLEMAN. 211 

ruddy glow to the cheek betokening buo} ant health. The 
white beard falls in wavy masses on the full chest; a 
sparkling diamond, in antique silver setting, glows on the 
ruffled shirt, and shines like a bright star through a broken 
cloud in a moonlit sky. The moustache is as silken as a 
boy's, and curves away from lips that are apart enough to 
show natural, well formed teeth. The nose is sHghtly 
aquiline, and shows determination without so much bend 
as to appear haughty. The eyes are a deep blue, — earnest 
looking eyes, — exemphfying the strong soul which you 
can see shadowed in them. The brow is broad and pro- 
minent. The hair the same shining hue as the beard, but 
clinging in close curls to the round, well-formed head. 
The crown is bald, making the closely curled locks look 
like an ivy garland. He dresses with consummate taste, 
and he has the rare faculty of looking well-dressed, even if 
corduroys and a fustian shooting-jacket envelop his manly 
frame. It is supererogatory to say that he excelled in all 
manly sports when younger, and still rides across the 
country, disdaining to turn for a stake-and-ridered fence, 
and would nearly as soon be caught in a mean act as to 
shoot a partridge or pheasant when not on the wing. He 
is a graduate of one of England's most celebrated colleges, 
well versed in modern hterature, plays cribbage and whist 
scientifically, gives me the rook and move at chess, and 
beats me more than half the time then. His farm is a 
model in arrangement and management, and his crops 
and stock show how much skill can accomplish in making 
a naturally sterile soil look well and pay well. 

Pupil. — Really, my worthy master, I am more in the 
dark than ever. I would have cheerfully wagered quite 
a large sum, for me, that you had some other object in 
your twice-a-year visits than caUing on the friend with 
the wondrous nerve force. Hunting, fishing, and camp- 
ing, are all very pleasant ; yet I was reacly to swear your 



212 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

description would have been that of some bright feminine, 
in place of a Pennsylvania Squire Osbaldeston, or Sir 
Tatton. I looked for some dashing Die Vernon, — and 
though, not long ago, you informed me that a farm and 
connubial happiness had evaded your grasp in the more 
exciting whirl of the turf and road, 1 still thought the 
idea had a charm which you were loth to give up. Now 
this old gentleman in the mansion, on the well-stocked 
farm, ought to have 

Pkeceptoe. — Away you go hke an unbroken horse with 
the bit between his teeth ! Having made up your mind 
that you are wonderfully cute, you start on a scent, right 
or wrong, and foUow it, — ^like making a trotter of every 
race horse, no matter whether he ambles or paces. 

Pupil. — Beg your pardon : and I promise not to make 
any more unseasonable interruptions, hoping you will dis- 
close to me in your own good time what I am sure is to 
follow, and what would do me as much good as to see 
Delia trot in twenty. 

Peeceptok. — Your interruption, unseasonable or not, 
came very near causing me to end abruptly the history of 
my journey. But to finish your sentence, which I made the 
break in. Mi'. P. has not only a daughter, but several 
of them, as well as sons. By way of punishment, I am 
almost tempted not to desciibe the two elder daughters 
of this interesting family ; but feel that, much as you will 
boast of your penetration in discovering something that 
has no form save in yoiu- distempered fancy, it will be ne- 
cessary to introduce them, in order that you may under- 
stand the numerous enjoyments their talents and edu- 
cation gave me. The eldest, Jane, is even superior to her 
father in beauty of form, face, and complexion. There is 
a great resemblance in their appearance. Notwithstanding 
there is nothing but masculine vigor in every point of the 
father, yet it is toned down and modified in the daughter, 



THE DAUGHTER. 213 

till she is as much a type of female loneliness as the 
famed Medician statue, which so many generations have 
conceded to be the model. As a pi-eface, I must acloiowl- 
edge her to be the very handsomest woman I ever saw, with 
one exception ; and this is saying a good deal for one who, 
for years, was a constant visitor to all of the Southern race 
courses, witnessing the blaze of beauty that was wont to 
shine in the grand stands at Charleston, Mobile, and New 
Orleans. Not knowing how many feet and inches is 
the proper standard for a woman's height, I cannot even 
guess how tall she may be, and I can only describe her 
stature, by saying that I -believe haK an inch either way 
would very much lessen the grace of her figure. The deep 
blue of her parent's eye is intensified in hers, and dark- 
ened, till, in some lights, it becomes almost black, taking, 
with every feehng, a varying expression, hardly needing 
the aid of words to convey what is passing in her mind. 
The slight Eoman curve in the old gentleman's nose gives 
way in hers to the pui'est Grecian ; the thin and expand- 
ing nostril, cut as finely as was ever seen portrayed in 
ancient cameo. The upper hp is curved like the bow of 
Cupid, while the under is rounded, and shghtly fuller. 
The chin is beautifully turned, and the setting on of the 
head to the finely moulded neck is perfection itself. The 
complexion, which I have no words to describe, is the 
finest English and American combined. Burns' "Lilies 
dipt in wine " is vivid, without picturing the commingling 
of tints. Those sea-shells, that are brought from the 
shores of the Mediterranean, in their delicate pencihngs, 
are the nearest approach I can think of. But in her 
cheeks the changes are many, — now glowing, when ex 
cited, now subsiding into a clear pearly lustre. Her hair 
is of the pure golden color, which poets in aU ages have 
rhapsodized about, and which I thought existed only in 
their fervid and florid imaginings, till I saw Jane P. 

10 



214 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

Her taste, in its arrangement, is equal to its marveloug 
beauty, tliough what model is followed I am unable to 
saiy. Every movement is graceful and lady-like, uniting 
the poHsh of high breeding to the native modesty of her 
every look and gesture. Educated in all the prevalent 
female accomplishments, she excels so much in drawing 
and painting that her other excellences are partly hidden. 
To this fascinating pursuit she is an enthusiastic devotee ; 
and her portfoho is filled with sketches that would de- 
light an artist, as well as charm one whose aesthetic tps^os 
are no better cultivated than mine. 

Her sister Susan is widely different in both appearance 
and character. Though two years younger, a stranger 
would think her the elder. Tall, and of majestic form, 
she has a queenly department that completely awes and 
takes captive her youthful admirers, and, I must admit, 
that for some time I thought her the most beautiful of 
these two handsome sisters. The difference between Minna 
and Brenda, Rowena and Rebecca, was not so marked ; 
and yet there is a similarity, in Jane and Susan, in both 
being so transcendentally beautiful. The grey eyes, black 
— ^intensely black — eyebrows and hair of Susan, comport 
well with the chiseled, oval face. Her features are, if 
anything, the most regular of the two, and there is a 
haughty look, which marks the indomitable spirit. In the 
family circle, it is hard to say which is the most agxeeable; 
and when I add that Susan excels as much in music as 
Jane does in the sister art of drawing, time could not 
hang heavy on my hands. I will forbear to say anything 
further at present of them and their pursuits; and as their 
father brings them down to attend the races at Jerome 
Park, you will have an opporttmity of seeing for yourseK. 
I have taken up so much time that I will have to defer 
acquainting you with the details of my rustication, which 



JAKE AND SUSAN AT THE RACES. 215 

I hope will entertain you as mticli as your account, when 
you first came, of tlie breeding-farm, struck my fancy. 

Pupil. — I am delighted at the prospect of making the 
acquaintance of your fi'iends, and have only one request 
to make — that you will invite them to see a trot on the 
classic Union, when Miss Jane can have her love for the 
beautiful gratified by seeing you drive the bob-tailed 
buck-skin that gained favor by beating the celebrated 
contraband, — and Mdlle. Susan can hear your musical 
voice as you shout at him to increase his easy flight of 
speed. 

Pbeceptok. — I have a great mind to discard you en- 
tirely ; and if you have the impertinence, even to hint at 
my mounting a sulky, during the visit of Mr. P. and 
daughters, I will turn every trotter out of the stable. 
Thanks to the rough country in which the ladies live, a 
trotting-sulky is unknown to them, and their ideas of race 
horses are from paintings of Derby and St. Leger winners 
sent by their friends in England, I would not, for every 
trotter on the track, be seen driving the one you mention, 
when I have described to them, in as glowing terms as 
I could muster the excitement, of a closely contested race, 
and felt, as I saw the two beautiful countenances grow 
animated with my poor description, that the scene was 
enacted in truth before us. Should they see in realiza- 
tion of this the uncouth, dirty-colored bob-tailed brute, I 
should never have the heart to see them again. 

A sulky is about as unpoetical as a wheelbarrow, and 
not only hides the figure of the horse, but places the 
driver in a very ungraceful attitude. 

How I would hke to see Susan mounted on the Falcon ! 
What a picture it would be, not needing the aid of a 
grand old tree to make it complete! How grand she 
would appear enthroned on his back! And I would 
wager my life that he would disdain to 'trot. He would 



216 HOESE PORTEAITUKE. 

sweep along at his grandest pace, and all the equestrian 
statues and spectacles would be far eclipsed by this living 
display of power, gi-ace, and beauty. 

We will now take up our line of march for the track, 
when we will see how Oriole and Mavoumeen deport 
themselves. 



CHAPTEB XVI. 

THE COLTS— MANNER OF PROGRESSING — SWEATING — ^PHTSIO — 
REDUCING WITHOUT MEDICINE. 

Pupil. — As you are too full of the lines of grace and 
beauty to look with equanimity on a sulky, I will have the 
colts hitched to the wagon, frankly admitting that I want 
them to strike you as favorably as their merits will justify. 
Oriole, being a year the oldest, mil have the precedence, 
and I will drive her first. 

Preceptor. — You may not think much of my powers of 
discrimination, because I do not qualify the praise of youi' 
horses with some invidious remark ; but I must acknow- 
ledge that I never saw colts that pleased me so well. 
How general is the desire to be considered a good judge 
of a horse ! I have often been much amused at the efforts 
of people to appear learned in the scale of points. Many 
will think that the only way of impressing a general beHef 
in the soundness of then" judgment is to pick the animal 
to pieces, and wliile learnedly discoursing, will often praise 
the parts that are very faulty, while they condemn the 
only good points in the animal. 

I must say that the fancifully marked filly is one of first- 
rate promise, and after the closest scrutiny I cannot see 
where she could well be bettered. It is quite true that 
she is far from being a trotter yet, and may never be 
classed as such, no matter how much care we use in her 
education. Her fine size, united to good form and even- 
ness of temper, is a great thing at the outset, while her 



218 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

gait is certainly very true and square. The rolling and 
hitching you spoke of she has not shown yet, and I hope, 
if we do not hui-ry her too fast, she will not resume that 
very annoying habit. Mavourneen I will have to see 
move again before I venture an opinion, as I fancied there 
was something in her movement not quite satisfactory. 
What a beauty she is ! Unhke your friend, who thinks 
no man rich enough to buy her if she could trot in twen- 
ty-five, if I owned her, a harness should never riiffle a sin- 
gle pile of her golden hair. Much as I would admire the 
grand picture Susan and the Falcon would make, I can 
fancy one I would give more to possess. Imagine a gxassy 
dell where a sheeny brook is "singing a quiet tune." 
Jane is seated on a violet bank sketching an elm, — its 
branches rising like the capital of a Corinthian column, in 
graceful reversed cui*ves, crowned with a wealth of fohage 
terminating the sj)ray-like branches. Mavourneen is 
standing by as if watching the transferring of the sylvan 
monarch to the paper, too much attached to her beautiful 
mistress to leave her side. The drawing finished, how 
gayty the fair artist gallops homeward, the sliining curls 
floating in the ambient fluid ! But I cry your forbearance, 
u,nd jDromise not to let the incidents of the last three 
weeks interfere with the attention we must now give our 
horses. 

Pupil. — Truly, I am sorry that you have come to that 
conclusion, and trust we have time enough to talk of 
something else besides horse. We who make the business 
of training our chief occupation, are apt to be bored with 
any other theme, till those who are thrown in our com- 
pany think that horsemen are fitted for no other place 
than a stable, or at most, some saloon where races are 
made, and pools sold. We must educate om'selves, as well 
as teach the quadrupeds, and much of the obloquy now 
heaped on us will give way to a proper appreciation of the 



INCIPIENT LAMENESS. -2l9 

merits we possess. A love for the beautiful is just as com- 
patible with handling horses, as in the professions absorb- 
ing the greater proportion of the talent of the country, I 
sincerely hope the day is not far distant, when a Hberal 
education will be thought essential in the training of a 
good horseman ; and I know that reading and study are 
rewarded in this profession, as in those where erudition 
is considered the only foundation to build upon. I am 
certain that Jane's pictures and Susan's music would have 
charmed you fully as much, if the artists had been less 
favored by nature in being themselves so beautiful. 
But 

Preceptor. — We will dispense with the continuation of 
the sentence, as I do not want to be led into a disputation 
at present, nor to argue an abstract question of art, fur- 
ther than to heartily agree with you in the necessity of 
education in our business. We will now attend the even- 
ing walk of the horses, and without utterly tabooing the 
subjects that have been uppermost in my mind, we must 
give to training the study it so imperatively demands, if 
we would succeed in getting all of our horses in proper 
order, so that they may trot their races according to their 
best ability. 

In former conversations, we discussed the effects of 
walking, and I do not know that much more can be said 
at present pertaining to that part of the exercise. I al- 
ways like to see the horses when at their walk, and by 
closely watching them, can distinguish if anything is going 
wrong. When a horse is fairly settled in his walk, there is 
very httle variation in the way in which he performs it; and 
when he does change, I always try to find out the reason 
that causes him to go differently. Slight strains, that 
unattended too often result in serious lameness, sometimes 
show more plainly when a horse is walking than when 
going at a faster gait. By closely scrutinizing the move- 



220 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

ments of a horse when well, the eye will detect changes 
the most skillful could not see, if not acquainted with the 
peculiarities of the animal, I have seen the removal of 
shoes followed by a difference so marked, that the change 
would be ascribed to something serious having happened ; 
and as an illustration of this, will recoimt a circumstance 
that occurred before I adopted the present system of shoe- 
ing. I sent a horse to the shop to have his shoes reset. 
He came back apparently all right, yet, when taken out 
in the afternoon to walk, I saw a shortening of his step, 
which soon changed to positive lameness. The most thor- 
ough examination failed to discover the cause, though I 
felt convinced the shoeing was the reason. The job had 
evidently been done with the greatest care ; the shoe fit- 
ted exactly, and every nail was driven the same distance 
above it. I thought that perhaps the clinches had been 
too closely drawn, hampering the foot with the pressure. 
It was too late to take him back to the shop that night, so 
the foot-tub was brought in requisition, and the soaking 
kept up till bed-time. Next morning he was worse, there- 
fore I went to the shop with him myself. The smith was 
positive the injury was not caused by the shoeing, and 
suggested sj)rains of the cofl&n-joint, pastern, elbow, or 
shoulder. He cut the clinches, di'awing the nails out sep- 
arately, when we soon discovered what had caused the 
difficulty. The nail in making had been split, and, in 
driving, the parts had divided, one portion coming out 
where intended, the other, following a straight coui'se, had 
pressed on the sensitive portion of the foot, and, of course, 
the hurt inci>3ased as the walk was continued. The sys- 
tem of shoeing we are now practicing would, in a meas- 
ure, guard against the occurrence of this accident — the 
nails being hardly more than half the customary length, 
and the point of exit much nearer the shoe, so that the 



PREPAKATION FOR SWEATIISTG. 221 

liability of their taking a wrong curve when driven is much 
lessened. 

As you remarked, Never Mind has a very queer manner 
of progression, and I can hardly think it is his natural 
walk. If so, it is " werry pecuHar," as Sam Weller would 
say, and totally unlike any walk I ever witnessed before. 
May it not be asoribed to the severity of treatment he met 
with at the hands of the man who worked him so hard, 
and who sweated him so often, that there was neither 
vigor nor proper Hfe left m him ? As it resembles so much 
the manner in which a horse would walk when nearly 
prostrated from exhaustion, the inference is, that he ac- 
quired it from having been forced to take long walks, 
when he ought to have been allowed uninterrupted repose. 

As he is more gross than any of the others, he will be 
the first we should sweat ; and as I contemplate putting 
him through that ordeal in a few days, we will now begin 
his preparation. Half an hour before the time for the 
others to come in, he can be stopped and allowed to graze. 
His hay will be ciTrtailed a httle to-night, and the quantity 
of grain slightly increased. It was formerly my plan, 
when a horse was in the situation he is, to give him a doso 
of physic, and I would have thought any one a mere tyro 
in the business Avho neglected to do so. Many still fol- 
low that plan, and would think it impossible to condition 
a horse without the use of drastic drugs. Had some one 
asked me the reason why I used physic, I should have 
answered that it was to decrease the belly, rectify a dis- 
ordered action of the bowels, expel parasites, prevent hu- 
mors and plethora, cure swelled legs, and refresh and en- 
liven the animal. Blood-letting, diiu-etics and diaphore- 
tics, were also connected with the violent purgations, and 
considered prime necessaries in the treatmeat of horses 
expected to go fast. If a horse is not health;-, the veteri- 
narian ought to be consulted. But as long as he feeds 
10* 



f22 HOESE POKTRAITURE. 

heartily, I would certainly rely on getting him in proper 
condition with other agents than by dosing him with balls 
and drenches. The reasons why I advise that Never IVIind 
should graze for half an hour, the amount of his hay 
shortened, and grain increased, are that the stomach 
may not be encumbered, the evacuations more pultaceous, 
and less danger of feverish symptoms following the 
exudation. I only mention the sweating incidentally, as 
we wUl give it the fullest consideration when the time 
comes to practice it. Physic I have hardly treated as it 
should be, and we may as well consider now the bearing 
it has as part of the preparation for fast work, as in the 
future. Horse training is not the only thing it has been 
considered important in. Had a man to be "fitted" for 
any arduous undertaking, it was also held imperative that 
he should follow a course that was sure to weaken, and 
needing cordials for him to recover from the effects. 
And not alone in athletic exercises has its use been sanc- 
tioned ; but purging and bleeding have been practiced in 
every department of life. The bolus and lancet depleted 
the system, outraging nature, whose violated laws were so 
little understood that the life currents were sapped, and 
the tone of the stomach injured by the poisons intro- 
duced. 

The practitioner for the human family has broken away 
from the old practices, and increased longevity is the re- 
sult. The course of physic j^rescribed by the old trainers 
was three doses, given at intervals of fi'om eight to four- 
teen days. Twice a year this had to be gone through 
with ; first, when the horse was taken up in the spring 
after the winter's rest, and again when the season of labor 
was com^^leted. The first effect of physic is to act on the 
inner surface of the stomach and bowels. This irritation 
causes a copious secretion of a water-like fluid, derived 
from the blood. Thus nature tries to relieve the system 



EFFECTS OF USING PHYSIC. 223 

from the poison by diluting it and extending the surface 
on which it acts. 

The loss of blood is made up by the absorbing vessels. 
They first commence operations on the fat, which under- 
goes a change, and acquires a resemblance to blood. This, 
so far, might be of service by removing the superfluities 
which are in the way of rapid locomotion ; but, unfortu- 
nately, it does not end here. The superpurgation, that 
almost invariably follows this course, is so debihating that 
much valuable time is lost in re-establishing the health. 
As an evidence that there has been injury done, the horse 
that was in good spirits before, and had a hearty appetite, 
becomes dull and refuses his food. The sickness and de- 
jection usually passes off when purging takes place, and 
the intestines have become relieved of the foreign matter. 
There have been numerous instances of horses being killed 
by the operation of violent cathartics, though not even 
then will the practitioner admit his error, and will ascribe 
the fatal result to the want of constitution in the animal, 
not to the vii'ulence of the drug. The question may be 
asked, " How then will you train a horse overloaded with 
flesh, with legs that are swollen from plethoric habit, and 
which is naturally not strong enough to stand the work 
necessary to have him trot fast in a short period of time?" 
It would be much better not to subject such an animal to 
hard work until we had taken time to bring him by de- 
grees to where he could endure, without injury, the exer- 
tion of getting rid of the superfluities. Blood-letting, 
purging and sweating, are the means used by all trainers 
to accomplish the reduction of the subject. If we discard 
the first two, are we not likely to do as serious injury by 
depending entirely on the latter? One thing has been 
received as an axiom by aU of those who have the manage- 
ment of horses ; viz., that no curtailment of food is ad- 
missible. Admitting the truth of the old adage, that the 



224 HORSE POETRAITUEE. 

more the horse eats the better condition he "will b*^ in, we 
must qualify it with the explanation, that his work must 
be in proportion, so that he continually gains in speed 
and stoutness. The horse that eats so much, that, with 
all the work his legs and lungs will stand, he keeps taking 
on too much flesh, must be restricted in the supply, if even 
it fall below that which we would like to see him eating. 
The position then may be untenable although sanctioned 
by those highest in the profession. One of the great re- 
quisites for speed is muscle, and all recognize the fact that 
a diminution of that article is an injury. Hence the vol- 
ume has to be kept up ; and the argument used is, that 
food makes muscle, and that the quantity will decrease 
with any curtailment of the rations. It would be impos- 
sible to say how much food would have to be given to 
form all the muscle a horse could carry. 

An idle horse eating, say twelve quarts per day, would 
eliminate from the surplus a good deal more fat, and 
Qothing like as much muscle, as the one eating the same 
cf^uantity and regularly worked. All that the horse eats 
►bove the daily waste is stowed up for future use. When 
■ he food is below the requirements, the fat is first seized 
' -n by the absorbents, and it would take a long time before 
a very gross animal would become emaciated on a sHght 
decrease of food. When a horse has become inordinately 
fat, it is distributed both in the interior and on the out- 
side ; and one. that is high in flesh, and that flesh acquired 
while doing a fair quantity of fast work, has his surplus 
mainly covering the ribs and filhng up the iiiterstices be- 
tween the muscles. In one case the fat interferes with the 
action of the heart and limgs, completely hindering the 
working of the machine, and making it totally impossible 
to go any distance fast ; while in the other, though ham- 
pered with the additional unnecessary weight, the horse 
wrorks with far less labor. His legs would become weary, 



STUDY OF HIPPOPATIiOLOGT. 225 

which repose would soon restore. Should these two 
horses be put in train at the same time, both having to trot 
races on the same day, it is apparent that their treatment 
could not be alike. There would be no difficulty with the 
one : his food and work could be given with impunity. With 
the other, some part of his preparation would have to be 
hurried, and I would much rather it should be in the last 
stage than the first. Two-thirds the amount of grain, with 
not over half the hay, three feeds a day in place of four, 
and the work given when the stomach was as near empty 
as possible — before feeding in the morning — would be the 
variation. The sweats given with less work and heavier 
clothing would suit me better than sickening him with 
aloes. The alterative medicine we are giving CHpper is 
very difierent in its effects. It is also combined with a 
tonic, and the intention is to strengthen — not weaken — the 
stomach. 

Pupil. — I have often wondered at the array of bottles, 
pots, and cans, which some trainers fill their stables with, 
and have imagined that if all their contents were needed 
to develop the trotting-speed of the inmates, that chem- 
istry and pharmacy were necessary studies. 

Pkeceptor. — That the study of Hippopathology would 
be beneficial to trainers, I firmly believe, giving them the 
power, to detect disease, before it became seated and re- 
quired the aid of a veterinarian to handle; but when seated, 
I would much prefer putting the case in the hands of a man 
who has made that science his whole study and business. 
To be able to form a correct diagnosis of a malady that is 
tlu-eatening a horse, might be of great service in estabhsh- 
ing guards to prevent it. My remarks in allusion to pur- 
gatives were as a means of furthering condition. I most 
assuredly would not throw them out as prescriptions for 
disease. The question is, Is it necessary to give a well 
horse medicine, thereby making him sick, in order that 



226 HORSE PORTEAITURE. 

his frame may be brought the sooner to endure great 
fatigue ? I think that other processes are better, yet it is 
a matter of so much moment, that we ought not to take 
any one's assertions, unless such assertions are based on 
good Judgment, or have been put to the proof. 

Pupil. — Your former remarks that air, food, exercise, and 
a strict attention to cleanliness, were the great adjuncts 
to successful training, appear to cover the whole ground. 
The variations that can be made with the almost endless 
varieties of food, and the difference in exercise from the 
walk to the fast trot, vnll meet the wants of, at least, a 
majority of horses. With what little knowledge I have 
of training, I should never have thought of drenching or 
balling to hasten condition. If one of my horses were 
taken with scouring, T should try at once to check it by 
giving more hay and less grain ; sometimes using a drink 
made with starch or wheat flour, and if the case was bad, 
using injections of the same material. Oftentimes suck- 
ling colts are greatly troubled with this complaint, and if 
it is not stopped, it will kill them in a veiy short time. I 
seldom fail to cure it by restricting the mother to flour 
and water for drink, with a very little tannin in it. But 
if it has not been attended to at once, the poison becomes 
disseminated in the system of the foal, and both have to 
be treated. In that case I give two or three raw eggs, 
broken, into the colt's mouth, and should these fail, a strong 
cup of black coffee will, nine times in ten, effect a cure. 
I was much amused at a friend of mine who left with me 
tliree mares to stay during the season. One of them had 
a foal by the Falcon, which the man thought very highly 
of. "When ready to leave, he asked me how I treated colts 
with the scours. I answered as I have been telHng you. 
That would not do for him, and I must accompany him to 
the town, where he would get me the medicine that I must 
use, in case his colt should be unfortunate enough to be 



HOMCEOPATHIC PKESCEIPTIOlSrS. 227 

attacl^ed. I, of course, went with him to the drug store. 
He got a half ounce vial which he filled with distilled wa- 
ter ; to this he added as much of a white powder as would 
lie on the extreme point of the small blade of a pen knife. 
He then directed me to take another vial the same size, fill 
it with rain-water and put three drops of the hquid of the 
first vial mto it, and should the colt become sick, drop one 
drop on his tongue, showing me how to hold my finger to 
guard against any more falling. I could hardly keep my 
countenance, but managed to restrain myself to ask what 
would be the result, should more than one drop be given. 
He answered, two drops will stop the discharge too sud- 
denly, but be very careful that three droj)s are not given, 
as that would certainly kill him. I took the vial without 
any further remarks, and as the colt was well all the time 
he was at my place, I had no opportunity to test the won- 
derful efficacy of the eightieth part of a drop of the first 
solution. 

Peeceptok. — Such infinitesimal doses, I should think, 
could not do much good or harm. Still to me there is some- 
thing very wonderful in homoeopathy, and I believe that 
system carried into horse practice would be beneficial. 
The cruelty now constantly attending the treatment of 
horses by those who boast loudly of their skill, and impose 
on the credulity of owners, might be abated, if all, not 
regularly educated in veterinary colleges, followed the 
homoeopathic formula. How much cruelty has been prac- 
ticed in the treatment of horses for the colic ! I have 
known a pint of soft soap and a pint of vinegar first given, 
then a pint of whiskey and a tablespoonful of Cayenne 
pepper, then a quarter of a pound of saleratus dissolved 
in hot water, and lastly, a gill of spirits of turpentine 
poured down the nostrill. The men who recommended 
the last dose were highly indignant when I prophecied it 
would kill him, and I nearly got myself in a scrape by 



228 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

denouncing- them as an ignorant, cruel set, unworthy of 
ever seeing a horse. I have never yet known a case of 
flatulent or spasmodic colic fail to be relieved by the use 
of copious injections of warm water, if given in time. 
While recommending the study of the pathology of the 
horse, I would still more strongly urge the consideration 
of his anatomy ; at least, so far as to obtain a correct 
knowledge of the osseous structure. Knowing correctly 
the position of every joint and articulation, we can arrive 
with far more certainty at the solution of lameness, which 
otherwise might be difficult to locate. For instance an 
enlargement of the coronary ligament is often taken for 
ringbone ; and the effort to reduce this morbid growth in 
the tissues, is the cause of hundreds being tortured in the 
vain hope of curing an incurable disease. 

Acquaintance with anatomy would also be of good 
service in determining the structural symmetry and equi- 
poise of the parts that form the well-balanced whole. 
This might be important knowledge when adjusting the 
work to the supi^osed capabihty of the animal ; of course it 
would be impossible to demonstrate from the form the work 
a horse ought to have, and yet knowing the faulty place in 
that horse's make-up, might lead to a variation in his 
treatment, resulting favorably, when one might have gone 
on a wrong track unguided. It is getting rather too late 
in the day to discuss this question now ; at some future 
time we will have a talk on the proper-frame work for 
rapid locomotion. Considei'iug the horse as a finished 
piece of mechanism, it is essential that each part should 
be in proportion to work in harmony, so that there need 
be no waste of muscular power in moving it along. 



CHAPTEE XYII. 

HAHNESSmO — DRIVING — COMMAJiTD OP TEMPEK — DRITENG ON ICE — 
"WIIfTEK-TROTTING IN CHICAGO, &C. 

Preceptor. — Good morning, my hopeful scliolar. I see 
you are awaiting my presence to commence operations. 

Pupil,. — We are all ready. The morning wallc is through 
with, and I have harnessed Jane. I always like to have 
the harness get warm before hitching to the vehicle. I 
formerly owned a horse that, if saddled and mounted im- 
mediately, would throw off the best rider in the world ; 
but if saddled half an hour before he was brought out of 
the barn, would go as quietly as desired. I ascribed this 
to the coldness and damj)ness of the pad, which had pro- 
bably fiightened him in his first lessons. 

Preceptor. — In all likelihood that was the reason. The 
stuffing of the saddle absorbs a good deal of moisture, 
which must be exceedingly uncomfortable when pressed 
down with a man's weight. I have known horses that 
would not puU freely 'till they had "warmed in the 
collar," as the grooms say. 

Regarding harnessing, nearly every man who uses a 
horse would say, that he can harness one properly, when 
the fact is that many professional grooms are not aware 
when it is rightly done. For trotters, especially, the 
greatest care should be observed that every strap is in its 
right place, and every billet buckled in its i^roper hole. 
When on, the whole suit ought to fit like a lady's glove, 
without confining the animal by a pressure of buckles, 



230 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

drawn as tightly as tlie force of the groom will permit. 
The bridle ought to be so adjusted that the bit will not 
draw into the corners of the mouth, yet close enough, so 
that the winkers or blinds will have the right set — the 
fore-top straightened below the brow band so that the 
hairs will not be broken. The breast-collar should come 
above the points of the shoulders, without encroaching on 
the windpipe. There is just the right place for the back 
pad on every horse, viz. : where the .springing of the 
withers and the swelHng of the ribs make it sit easily ; 
this is, of course, regulated by the length of the crupper 
strap. The breeching ought to be about level with the 
stifles. 

When the horse has been placed in the shafts— the 
reins having been run through the martingale rings and 
terrets — first fasten the traces to the whiffletree, then 
buckle the false girth. I follow this plan with horses 
that are restive when being hitched to the sulky, for 
should they want to start, you are in a situation to humor 
them. Now buckle the holdbacks, placing them under 
the traces, which will prevent the breeching flying up, 
giving, of course, plenty of room. The breeching ought 
to be so loose that you can di-aw it several inches away 
from the quarters. Snubbing-straps I never use, having 
found that, when the martingale is at its proper length, 
there will be no undue pull on the girth. I think many 
are prone to err in shortening the martingale so as to 
make quite a sharp an^e in the reins, reasoning, that 
because a horse throws his head up in a break, there 
must be a downward pull to "catch him." It is true, that, 
with a short martingale, you get something of a pulley 
pm-chase, pex-haps not greatly augmenting your strength, 
but allowing you to hold all you get. I am doubtful, 
however, if the advantage gained is commensurate with 
the injury done. The horse, unable to keep his feet, either 



RECOVERING FROM A BREAK. 231 

from the pace being too rapid, making a mis-step, or be- 
coming tired, breaks. His recollections are of being pun- 
ished by having the bit twitched about in his mouth, and 
he throws his head up to bring the bit on the least sensi- 
tive part. The fear overcomes his judgment, and he com- 
pletely loses his j)resence of mind, making a " terrible bad 
break." The dead pull the short martingale produces 
further worries him, and he tries, with short, sudden jerks 
of his head to fi'ee himself from the restraint. With the 
lengthened martingale there is only a little friction be- 
tween the rein and ring — not sufficient to misplace the 
girth. We get far better control of the horse's head, and 
there is not near the danger of doubling him up, so that 
he will strike his knee or grab his quarters. 

Drivers have generally a favorite way, peculiar to them- 
selves, of recovering a horse from a break. One throws 
his body back in the sulky, and his whole weight on one 
rein, drawing the horse's head around till his neck forms 
the arc of a circle, with a very short radius. Another 
snatches him from one side to the other, while a third 
yaws him about as far as the width of the track will 
permit. My plan is varied. If a horse breaks when I 
have been forced to pull him sharply, to keep him on his 
feet, I immediately slacken the rein, giving him the free 
use of his head, as it is possible he may have been par- 
tially choking under the pull. Throwing his nose out is a 
great relief to him under these circumstances. Should he 
not catch of his own accord after going a few lengths, I 
give him a little shake with one rein, as a reminder that 
he is doing wrong, accompanied by a gentle pull, which 
will always succeed in those horses I have worked myself. 
If a horse is overtrottiug, and flies up excited, a sharp, 
strong pull, lifting him, as it were, back to his trotting- 
gait is often successful, without the loss of much ground. 
As soon as you feel him settled, ease away gradually till 



232 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

he goes on with as light a pull as is compatible. Horses 
that are not addicted to pulling, frequently take a very 
sharp hold of the iron when scoring, or in the first start 
of a race. With these we will have to be very gentle, 
ruffling them as little as possible, and yet suffering them 
to come to the score at their best flight of speed. It is a 
great thing to have a horse that will go from the score 
well, enabling you to make choice of the track, and ob- 
taining other advantages that a leading horse always pos- 
sesses. The pull we were forced to give at the ou.tset can 
soon be slackened, provided we have been lucky enough 
not to have made a mistake. Though I find I am again 
traveling away from the subject, I thought it a good time 
to say something about harnessing when the union be- 
tween martingales and breaking presented itself. There 
is much yet to think about relative to the leathern equip- 
ments ; and after Jane displays her capabilities, and you 
jog Falcon and Never Mind, we will resume the consider- 
ation of martingales, check reins, and blinders. 

PopiL. — I want to recall your promise, that you would 
devise a way that I could exercise Jane without danger 
of her running away. I am not afraid of her absolutely 
getting away with me, though I am fearful of injuring her 
mouth in restraining her. 

Preceptor. — I see you have followed instructions in 
putting a chain-bit in her mouth. Hitch her to the wagon 
and I will jog her myself, and my word for it, she goes as 
quietly as can be expected. 

There, you see she did not act badly, only compelling 
me to bring her to a stop a few times before she learned 
that all that I required was for her to go slow. It is true, 
that, when I turned her around to try her the right way 
of the track, she was somewhat excited. But finding, 
that I would permit her to walk only, she acquiesced like 
the well-bred one she is. She must make her mark, if for 



GOVEENIKQ THE TEMPEE. 233 

no other reason than the name she wears, and if she 
should show herself worthy, forgeting all her bad habits, 
and going "alarmingly fast," we will add the surname, 
and she shall wear the best suit of clothes that can be 
bought to deck her ladyship, embroidered by the fair fin- 
gers that can do it so well. 

The few steps she took, when I first turned her around, 
convinced me, that she has any amount of power, which 
we must make available by proper teaching. 

I feel safe in guaranteeing, that she will not strike her 
knee. StOl we will let her wear a boot on the one that is 
slightly enlarged, whenever we permit her to go fast 
enough to endanger it. I will now see you drive the 
others. 

Pupil. — Tou must have put some potent charm on the 
Falcon, as I never knew him to jog so quietly on the track 
before. This must be one of his white days. 

Pkeceptor. — Or rather say of yours. It is hard to con- 
vince a person of the absolute requirement there is to 
govern the temper when handling horses. Tou got into 
the sulky, knowing, that every motion of you and the 
horse was to be closely watched ; so you were constrained 
to be on your good behavior. You governed him by kind 
words and gentle tones, in heu of puUing at the bit. The 
good effects you have seen. Should you ever feel a httle 
cross-grained, delay exercising till the black fit is off. If 
you have not an Annot Lyle to charm you out of the 
sulks, rely on reason to guide you, but above everything 
else, visit not your wrath on the horses. Tou cannot al- 
ways expect them to understand every command, and 
should they appear disobedient, rely entirely on kindness. 
It is true that there must be punishments, as well as re- 
wards. Be convinced of your own temper before you 
strike. Mark me, that we are going to cure these horses 
of all former bad habits by uniform kindness, and I urge 



234 HOESE PORTRAITURE. 

on your consideration, more strenuously than circum- 
stances will warrant, the necessity of uniformity of temper. 
A blow, a passionate jerk of the reins, even a harsh word, 
might render nugatory the teachings of weeks. Having 
once been in rebellion, they will be incited thereto again, 
by treatment analogous to that which was the primary 
cause, only it will require less ill usage to spoil them than 
it did on the start. Never Mind you will drive a trifle 
faster than you did the Falcon, ending your diive when 
you have gone five miles. Should the weather be favor- 
able, we will sweat him day after to-morrow, and again in 
a week from that time. The Falcon and Jane will then 
also be ready to lose part of their surplus. 

Pupil. — You need not apologize for urging the neces- 
sity of keeping my temper. Having a fair command of 
it there are yet times when I find it difficult to keep it in 
subjection. I feel, that it is more important with those 
horses that have suffered abuse, than even with the colts, 
as there is always more danger from a relapse, than from 
the disease at first. 

Peeceptor. — The high-headed brown fellow certainly 
makes a fine appearance ; and, to take the motto of his 
native State as a password, we will try "to guide" him so 
that he may be no discredit to the land that has turned 
out several of our best trotters. They were fortunate in 
obtaining some of the Messenger blood from near the 
source of the stream, and, having the blood, have made 
the most of their inhospitable climate, by taking advantage 
of the frozen surface of their rivers to teach the scions of 
a noble horse to trot, that otherwise would have been 
compelled to haul the plough or wagon all their lives. I 
have heard a good deal of argument whether it was better 
iO drive a horse on the ice or not. Never having tried 
the experiment, I can only hazard an opinion. It appears 



DKIVING ON THE ICE. 235 

as if the unyielding thick ice would be rather a dangeroua 
place for the feet and legs. 

Pupil. — I am inclined to think that, in the northern lati- 
tudes, the ice might be taken advantage of for teaching 
colts to trot, without being detrimental to the feet or legs. 
I have tried it a little, and found by proper shoeing the 
jar was in a great measure taken oflj and they could go 
with more freedom than on the frozen roads. The shoe I 
have found best adapted to ice work, has a little resem- 
blance to the flanged one we are now using. The toe-calk 
is made to extend quite a distance round the shoe, and the 
heel ones are set parallel with the foot, and nearly an inch 
long. They are made of steel, and kej)t very sharp, so 
that the cutting into the ice not only gives a better hold, 
but takes off a great deal of the concussion. I had an eye 
to the benefit of ice driving, when locating the breeding- 
farm near the Mississij)pi. The river itseH is apt to close 
up rough, from the running ice pushing huge cakes over 
one another. On the large island, however, there are lakes 
not disturbed by the current, where the ice is smooth, and 
the woods afford protection from the wind. 

One season I broke three colts that were of the same age, 
and very closely matched in speed. Two of these I let 
run all winter ; the third I had shod, and drove her as 
occasion required — chiefly to the Httle town a couple of 
miles off. By making a circuit, I could drive on a bayou 
where the ice was good, and where I would let her step 
along. She was taken out at irregular intervals, and 
driven only when her services were needed. Neither had 
she any better care than the others. When brought in, a 
blanket was thrown over her till she became dry, when it 
was removed. The others were turned out of their stalls 
into the field every day that was not stormy. All were fed 
alike. As the spring opened, the colt's shoes were puUed 
off, and she was allowed to run two or three weeks after 



236 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

the other two were taken up. She soon trotted right over 
the others, and kept her lead all summer. This impressed 
me so highly with the benefits to be derived from driving 
on the ice, that I am determined to pursue it when I got 
back home, and by giving it a fair trial I think I will be 
able to decide in relation to its advantages. I think the 
smooth sux'face gave her confidence, after the novelty of 
the situation had worn off. Some cold mornings the ice 
would crackle and rumble as though an earthquake was 
breaking up the foundations of the river. This would 
startle the colt, and she would dart away frightened, 
though she very soon became accustomed to the noise, and 
paid no further attention to it. I noticed she would bear 
more urging without breaking than when on the track. 
There was a marked difference in her action the following 
summer — keeping her feet under her better, and going 
more like a trotter in every particular. The treatment 
for horses trained in this way would have to be very dif- 
ferent, of course, than if the weather were warm ; walking 
would be inadmissible, and much grooming would be an 
injury, by breaking the hair. Large, soft blankets, to ab- 
sorb the perspiration, and permit the moisture to evapo- 
rate, would be essential. The stable would have to be 
moderately warm, with plenty of straw to make a bed 
that would cover then- knees as they stood. 

Peeceptok. — Anything I could say regarding driving on 
the ice would only be surmise. Though I cannot see any 
reason why colts would not be benefited by the winter's 
schooling, I would not like to make the lessons very 
severe, although when I fotmd the hmbs and feet Vere un- 
injured, there would not be a great deal to fear otherwise. 
The rapid inhalation of very cold air might be prejudicial 
to the lungs, which would be obviated by making the 
brushes very short. Skating is admitted to be a healthy 
recreation, provided proper precautions are taken to keep 



TKOTTIKG ON" THE CHICAGO RIVEE. 237 

the extremities warm ; and of course, the frozen air has to 
be breathed by the bipid, in, perhaps, as rapid draughts 
as the young- trotter would require. I shall await your 
further experiments with some anxiety, as it woxild be a 
great gaining of time, if we could make the winter months 
available for continuing our lessons. 

Pupil. — The Chicago River, in the winter months, is fre- 
quently a very animated scene. It runs nearly through 
the centre of the city, its two branches uniting some three- 
quarters of a mile above its confluence with the lake, di- 
viding the town into three compartments, known as the 
south, west, and north sides. It is one of the main causes 
of Chicago's greatness, making not only one of the finest 
harbors in the world, but giving facilities for the handling 
of grain, lumber, and mer<3handise, that are unequaled in 
any place that I know of. There are upwards of twelve 
miles of docks, with numerous large elevators, whence the 
grain is taken from the cars, and vessels loaded so rapidly^ 
that millions of bushels are transferred, without causing 
any more bustle than is apparent every day. Those en- 
gaged in the business are the only ones cognizant of any 
greater degree of activity than usually characterizes the 
place, although shipping corn and wheat enough in one 
day to equal the whole amount grown in some of the New 
England States. Five di'awbridges span its turbid wave in 
the distance of a mile ; and when the ice is good, and the 
scores of fast horses are dashing rapidly below them, throngs 
of people are congregated to watch the exciting spectacle. 

Here is a pair with gTand and lofty action, keej)ing step 
with the regularity of trained soldiers : the merry bells 
jingling in cadence to the measured footfalls. The wolf 
robes are comfortably tucked around the form of one of 
the fairest daughters of the garden city, and the furred 
and gauntleted driver seems to be at a loss which to be 
most proud of, the costly turn-out, or the beautiful lady at 

11 



238 HORSE POKTRAITURE, 

his side. They are going fast; but a few rods behind thenj 
a pair of small chestnuts, with flowing manes and nervous 
step, are rapidly approaching. This sleigh has also two 
inmates, muffled so closely, that you can only see the blue, 
good-humored eyes of the driver, contrasted with the 
small, black and glistening orbs of his companion, that 
are fairly dancing with excitement at the prospect of a 
brush. As soon as the leader is aware of their proximity, 
the tapering whip is allowed to fall lightly on the quarters 
of his gallant steeds, and they respond by an increased 
flight of speed. It is in vain : the chesnuts' heads are oppo- 
site the cutter as they rush under Clark-street Bridge — as 
they emerge from the shadow, they are lapped, and in the 
next one hundi'ed yards are ghding rapidly away, the 
grand bays pawing frantically in the air. Yonder come 
two of the fastest, rigged to skeleton sleighs. Many has 
been the boast of what each could do with the other when 
they came together ; yet neither seems anxious to bring 
it to a practical test. They are jogging along quietly, when 
line driver chirrups at his horse, and he darts away at a 
forty chp ; but he soon pulls him up, and the other goes 
through the same maneuver. Once more they are in 
juxtaposition, and away they go. How rapidly they over- 
haul those that seemed to be going so fast ! Still they are 
head and head. The words of encouragement of their 
respective drivers give place to quick, sharp yells, and 
the whips are also brought in requisition. How eagerly 
they strain for mastery! One has got the length of his 
neck in advance, and seems still to be gaining by a quarter 
of an inch at a stride, when up he goes ; his competitor 
has a clear length the lead before the other recovers ; but 
when he does regain his trot, he is going faster than ever. 
The people on the bridges are shouting with excitement; 
and from the decks of the vessels, that are now motionless, 
wedged in the frigid barrier, come corresponding shouts. 



RACING OK THE ICE. 239 

The other actors in this gliding panorama have pulled 
their horses to a slow pace, and are intently watching the 
progress of the race. As the racers pass the victorious 
chestnuts, a clear, ringing voice issues from below the 
sparkling eyes : "A thousand dollars to five hundred that 
Medoc pops it to him." There are no such odds, for as they 
make the turn in the bend of the river, they are as closely 
locked as Grey Eagle and Wagner were in making 
their final brush, when strong, stalwart Kentuckians 
fainted from the excitement of witnessing the continued 
struggle. We catch the last ghmpse of them as they fly 
by the South Branch, and we are left to imagine which 
will be crowned the victor. There must be some strange 
fascination in watching these contests : regardless of the 
cold, we keep our station on the bridge, till the sun's rays 
are slanting through the white vapor, and the shadows are 
falling thick and heavy from the huge warehouses, and He 
in patches on the white ice. 

Pkeceptob. — And surely, any one with a spark of mer- 
cury in his composition, would endure a good deal of cold 
to see the trotters of a great city exercising where he could 
obtain such a view of them. From your description, I 
judge there is nothing in the way, save the performers 
themselves. 

Pupil. — They have the whole river to themselves, and 
to get on the ice, there has to be a declined bridge of 
plank made from the higher elevation of the street. 
Teams, and those engaged in business, never take the 
trouble to drive down. I saw a race there once that was 
thrilling. Two men were coming down the river with 
horses that were very nearly matched, and the contest 
was close and exciting. Before arriving at Rush Street, 
the bit of one of the horses parted in his mouth, and he 
run away. To ease the labor of driving, the man had 
knotted the reins around his back, and thev had become 



240 HORSE POETRAITURE. 

SO entangled, that in Ids excitement he could not undo 
tbem. On tlie horse sped, and of course it would have 
been madness to have jumped out of the sleigh, only to 
be hauled along by the firmly twisted reins. 

The frantic animal, under no control, rushed madly 
along ; the point, on which the lighthouse stands, was 
passed, and he made his way directly for the blue water 
that was surging in the wintry wind. It was yet some 
distance off, but the fearful rate, at which the scared horse 
ran would soon carry him over the intervening space. 
Soon the dashing of the waves, as they curled, foamed, and 
hissed over the frail barrier, was heard, mingling their 
sound with the j^lunge of the horse's feet, and the crisping 
drag of the runners slightly cutting the hard surface. Only 
a few more bounds and they would be engulfed in the cold 
water. The driver had called and shrieked at the horse 
till he was hoarse, and now sat with the calmness of de- 
sx^air, with no hope that anything could avert the fearful 
end. He speculated on the time he would have to endure 
the embrace of the watery shroud, before he became un- 
conscious, and wondered how long it would take him to 
sink to the bottom and be at rest. He shut his eyes, feel- 
ing there would be some rehef in not seeing the fatal 
plunge. There was a shock — he felt the sleigh upsetting, 
and his recollections were at an end. The horse had at 
last become aware that he was going to run into the water, 
and turning just on the brink of the ice, had nearly cap- 
sized the cutter. He ran down the lake shore, where he 
was stopped, the man still being in a swoon. No one 
could ever persuade him to drive on the ice again. 

Pkeceptok. — He ought to have had more sense than to 
jepoardize his life by fastening the reins to his body. I 
have seen men run their wrists through the hand-pieces, 
taking a twist in them, to di-ive a hard puller ; it always 
makes me nervous to witness it. There is danger enough 



RASCALITIES OF THE TURF. 241 

in driving, without taking the chance of being fastened to 
a runaway horse. With such a winter's drive as you speak 
of, and good summer roads, there will likely be always a 
market in Chicago for trotters. 

PupHi. — There is not much doubt of that. At times I 
have been fearful that the sharp practice of some — who 
ought to be below the turf instead of on it — would disgust 
the men who uphold and give countenance to the sport, and 
that trotters would depreciate in value, until the price would 
no longer pay for breeding and training. Should these 
villainies finally drive the pubHc from patronizing the trot- 
ting parks, the inquii j there will be, by those living in the 
larger towns and cities, for sujperior roadsters, will tend to 
keep prices up ; but the large prices that are paid at the 
present day for the fastest trotters, in that case, could not 
be looked for. 

Preceptor. — As long as our wealthy men take the pleas- 
ure they now do in fast driving, there will always be a 
remunerating market. As to the rascalities that are some- 
times practiced on the turf, it is a very tmpleasant subject 
even to talk about. I hope there will be a joint action of 
the clubs over the country to eradicate them. A confed- 
eration of the different clubs and driving-park associations 
would be the most effective cure. If ruling off one course 
included banishment from all, there would be few bold 
enough to take the chances of detection. 

It is now approaching the time for our noontide meal. 
After discussing that, we wiU. see if we cannot "know of 
something for the good " of our horses, and such as will 
be pleasanter to think of than the knaveries of mankind. 



CHAPTEE XVIII. 

I'HB MARTINGALE — BLINDERS — BLIND AND OPEN BRIDLES — ^FEED- 
ING — OATS AND HOMINY. 

Pbeceptoe. — ^Before eating dinner, I felt a little out of 
humor. The recollections of some transactions worried 
me, I am pleased to say that I have recovered my equa- 
nimity, and after inhaling the aroma of this finely flavored 
cigar, my brain will be clear enough to discuss any topic 
with which I am acquainted. By the way, you must have 
obtained another supply of cigars. I see your favorite clay 
pipe is laid aside, and you are smoking with evident satis- 
faction the fellow to this. 

Pupil. — The bale of Killikinick, that was flavored so ex- 
actly to my taste, has unfortunately been consumed. The 
visions that have been pictured on my brain, while assist- 
ing at its empyreal ceremonies, have not been so evanes- 
cent. While you were gone, and I was left to my sohtary 
dreamings, the after-dinner smoke was among the pleas- 
antest moments of the day. I am not going to inflict the 
recollections of these phantasies on you now, though I 
watched the decrease of my treasure, much as the cast- 
away sailor would look at the daily diminishing supply of 
water. I could not expect to get any more, as the fabri- 
cators have gone out of the business, and I knew of none 
others possessing the same cunning skill at selecting the 
leaves from a year's pui'chase, having them manufactured 
with the same care, and apportioning the fragrant spices 
of the Orient so exactly that the compound became perfec- 



THE TOBACCO DONATION. 243 

tion itself. The last bright leaf was biu'ning in my pipe, 
when there came a package by express, all the way from 
Chicago. I directed it to be left on the jDorch, quietly de- 
liberating on what it could contain, determined however, 
that my curiosity should be unsatisfied till I had drawn 
the last perfumed breath ixora. the fascinating bowl. I 
looked at the package with some misgivings, thinking that 
when opened it would disclose some gTeat sell of Capt. 
K — t or Charlie C — k, who are much given to the perpe- 
tration of practical jokes and hoaxes. Both of them would 
go without sleeping or eating for forty-eight hours, if by 
that means they could raise a good laugh at the expense 
of their friends ; and, to catch each other, would even go 
without drinking for the same period. I looked at the 
box, and felt convinced it was a hoax; but mustering reso- 
lution to know the worst, I got a hatchet, and brought to 
view such an array of cans and boxes, that I was fairly 
dazzled. There were half-a-dozen bright canisters marked 
"Banner," the same number of varnished wood ones, filled 
with the finest smoking tobacco, almost equaling that so 
fondly remembered. Boxes — I hardly know how many — of 
Regalias, Punches, Principes, &c., and at the very bottom, 
a card: "From P , No. 48 Dearborn St., Chicago, Illi- 
nois." The present being unexpected, and coming so op- 
portunely, made it doubly acceptable ; and though aware 

that friend P is an enthusiastic admirer of the horse, 

was unprepared for this hberal demonstration to one who 
had no claims upon his generosity. I opened one of the 
boxes of Principes, and they brought back the sunny days 
of my youth so vividly that I have continued to smoke 
them ever since, and can only say that no other cigars 
would have seduced me from my vows of fidelity to the 
pipe. When I saw the card, I needed no other guarantee 
of their quahty, as I know only the very best ever came 
out of P 's store. 



244 HORSE PORTEAITTJRE. 

Pkeceptoe — You are in great luck in the tobacconists 
of your acquaintance ; and I hope, when sending your ac- 
knowledgments for this hberal present, you will also em- 
body my thanks in the epistle. These cigars are, if any- 
thing, superior to your first consignment, and would tran- 
quilize the perturbed spirit of a man who had just lost a 
race. 

Before we return to the stable, we will resume the con- 
sideration of the harness. The martingale we will com- 
mence with, in relation to its use in the training of trot- 
ters. The general idea has been that it could not be done 
away with in their education, or its future services be dis- 
pensed with. With saddle horses, it has long been a 
mooted question, whether it is advantageous or not. In 
tlais cotmtry, in the region where the best saddle horses 
are found, it is rare to see it forming a part of their equip- 
ment. Those who have written on the subject are divided 
in their opinion, and while one questions its advantages, 
another will not admit that it can be prejudicial. I have 
embodied most of my ideas regarding it in the conversa- 
tion this morning, adding that there are very few cases in 
which I would decline using it, but still less frequently 
can I see any benefit in having it very short. Harry 
Hieover, in alluding to martingales, says : " They are use- 
ful in two ways. With the good rider, they bring and 
keep "the horse's head in its proper place ; and with the 
bad one, they prevent the badness of his hands pulling it 
into an improper one." He further recommends their use 
in all cases, even on a horse that has to jump liigh, or a 
distance, as crossing a stream. Carl Benson, commenting 
on this article of Mr. Brindley's, writes: "As to long 
jumping, I have not the slightest doubt that the martin- 
gale is a hindrance to it, especially with green horses. I 
have seen the experiment tried too often ; over and over 
again I have seen a horse baulking at a ditch, and clear- 



THE MARTINGALE. 245 

ing it as soon as the martingale was removed. Once I 
saw one baulk so badly that he ended by throwing his 
rider, who was a very good horseman, too ; but, in the 
conceit of good horsemanship, he thought he could force 
the animal over with the martingale on. After this very 
decided hoist, he took my advice and removed it, and the 
horse went over at once, and I have seen him clear some 
very nasty ditches, and ridden him over not a few myself." 
These facts instanced by Carl Benson, are of far greater 
weight than mere theorizing. The horse, knowing the 
martingale cramped and fettered him, was afraid to try 
the leap, if even it was within his j)ower to do it easily. 
But as soon as the martingale was removed, his confidence 
returned, and he went boldly over. The trotter requires 
the full use of himself, as well as the steeple-chase horse 
or hunter, and is much benefited by being harnessed so 
that he has all the freedom admissible with being proper- 
ly secured to the vehicle. My idea, then, is, that ninety- 
nine in every hundred horses require the martingale to 
be so long that there will be no friction between the reins 
and rings, as long as his head is carried in a proper posi- 
tion, and wiU only act when the head is elevated to an 
improper height. My remarks are, of course, only appli- 
caple to the common or running martingale. To the 
harness horse, the fixed or standing martingale is a posi- 
tive injury, as I have never seen a case where one was of 
service. It is rarely seen except in the harnessing of pairs, 
and I think is mainly used from the fancied improvement 
in the team's appearance. Some horses have a habit of 
tossing their heads up, generally for the momentary relief 
afforded, when the bearing-rein is too tight. The sharp 
blow the bars of the mouth r(!ceive from the bit, when fast- 
ened with an unyielding strap, cannot do much good. I 
have heretofore signified my preference for the Kemble 
Jackson check, when a horse required his head to be much 

ir 



246 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

elevated, and gave my reasons at the time for estimating 
it above the common one. It is hardly necessary for me 
to state that I would prefer a horse that needed no extra 
apphances to trot at his fastest gait, and if I had an ani- 
mal that would go under aU circumstances better without 
check rein, martingale, or bhnders, I should certainly not 
put them on him. But, unfortunately, for one animal of 
this kind, there are very many that need all these apphan- 
ces, and it wiU be a matter requiring much study and fre- 
quent experiments, to know the best manner of applying 
them, to meet the exigencies of each particular case. 

Fast trotting depending so much on the education, the 
first lessons are of the greatest moment in determining 
the habits of a horse ; therefore, if we accustom him to a 
high check when we commence, the chances are that he 
will always need its support ; or, should we teach him that 
a heavy pull is an absolute necessity, when he is trotting 
fast, then the short martingale is an essential part of the 
harnessing. The tension is steadier, and remedies, in a 
measure, what Harry Hieover would call "bad hands." If 
one could retain the natural delicacy of the horse's mouth 
during the long time the training of trotters requires, a 
great point would be gained. The admonitions of the bit 
would be sooner obeyed, and this powerful monitor would 
have a tenfold greater effect. Fashion and Miss Foote — 
two of the greatest mares on the American turf — were as 
easily placed in their races as though they were reasoning 
beings, permitting their riders to take every advantage the 
changing scenes of a four-mile contest afforded, and I am 
positive in my belief that they wovild not have won half 
the races they did, if they had been pulled at till all feeling 
in their mouths was gone. Launcelot, a brother to the 
celebrated Touchstone, was the very reverse, and his great 
powers as a race horse were almost rendered nugatory 
by his determination to run away, only restrainable by a 



THE USE OF BLI]SrDEKS. 247 

powerful curb. It is no argument, because some of the 
best and fastest horses have been great pullers, that 
it is not a material injury to speed, as it is almost a cer- 
tainty that they would have gone still faster if easier driven. 
But even granting that it does not meteriaUy effect the 
horse, the driver assuredly would be in a better pUght to 
win, if he had been more at his ease when driving the 
heat. 

A great deal has been written and said relative to the 
use of blinders. While the arguments for their discontin- 
uance are apparently the stronger, I must acknowledge 
that, in my practice, more horses have gone better with 
than without them. It is a great point with me to have a 
bridle " sit weU " on a horse's head ; and if it has not been 
properly constructed, aU our efforts to adjust it will be fu- 
tile ; and when well made, the greatest care must be taken 
that the bit is in the right place, and that the side-j)ieces, 
and the strap that is attached to the front part of the 
blinders, are buckled just where they ought to be. The 
bhnd itself should be of sufficient size to completely hide 
from the horse everything that is behind him, and con- 
fine his range of vision so that it will be circumscribed by 
about sixty degrees, or the sixth part of a circle. This 
will give the blind flare enough, so that it will merely 
shade the eye, without the least possible chance of injuring 
it by pressure, or by want of circulation of air. I find that 
horses driven with an open bridle are not so attentive to 
their business, watching everything that comes under their 
observation, and paying particular attention to every mo- 
tion their driver makes. While I am willing to gratify 
this propensity, when it does not interfere with the lessons 
I am giving, I want to control it when in the harness, and 
prefer at that time to have the undivided attention of my 
pupils. Each horse should have his own bridle. To have 
a harness apiece would still be better, but this would in- 



248 HOESE POETRAITUEE. 

crease tlie cost of fixtures so mucli that in a large stable 
the amount necessary to equip the horses would be quite 
onerous, Horses that are nearly of a size can be used in 
the same harness, without much change. Horses, how- 
ever, with the same sized heads might not be suited to 
the same bridle. The angle of the hps might be deeper 
in the one, and the eyes nearer the poll in the other, thus 
requiring a change in the length of the billet that holds 
the bit. The bit itself should also be adapted to the 
wants of the horse, and the bearing-rein always of the 
length thought best. 

Pupil. — In breaking colts, I have found it advisable to 
accustom them to both bhnd and open bridles, and have 
discovered that while one could hardly be harnessed with 
Ills eyes partially bhnded, another would go more quickly 
vrhen he could only see ahead. Extremely nervous or 
timid colts are more easily broken with an open bridle, 
vihile those that shy, I find, are less liable to do so with 
I ilinders. I have a large, strong, -thoroughbred colt, three 
J ears old, that I got from an old friend of mine, who had 
f (iffered him to grow to that age without his ever having 
}ieen in a stable. When I saw him, he was tied up with a 
f trong halter ; and as I noticed he did not lilce the ap- 
proach of a stranger, I contented myself with admiring his 
well-knit frame, and a general wiriuess of *form that deno- 
ted his breeding and activity. I bargained for half of 
him, the old gentlemen being determined to retain the oth- 
er moiety. He brought him to my place when he had fin- 
ished planting his corn, leading him beside a large mule 
that had been a playmate of the colt's when both were 
running out. He had not become much more sociable 
than when I first saw him, but would trot alongside the 
mule, showing a gait "that pleased me exceeduigly." Hav- 
ing traveled some thirty miles that day, the conclusion 
was that he would be a little tired, and would not be so 



BLINDERS IN BREAKING COLTS. 249 

troublesome to harness as when fresher. I put a bhnd 
bridle on him, when not another strap woiild he permit 
to touch him, nor would he allow a hand even to be placed 
on his neck. We took the bridle off, and replaced it with 
an open one, when we found him no more trouble to har- 
ness than colts usually are. He bounced about when first 
driven on the track, yet it was not long before he became 
reconciled to the hold-backs and breeching danghng about 
his quarters. After several days' practice with the har- 
ness on, I thought it time to put him in the shafts. He 
became perfectly frantic at the approach of the sulky. 
When we pulled it along in front of him, he would rest his 
nose on the seat, perfectly fearless in that position ; yet 
the moment he was brought before it he became as wild 
as ever. 

Quite a time elapsed before we attempted to put him in 
the shafts again, practicing him daily by leading him 
alongside and behind the sulky. When we did, we got 
him in without a great deal of bother ; I did not think it 
advisable to fasten him further than merely placing the 
points of the shafts in the loops, a man on each side hold- 
ing him by the bit, and with the other hand keej)ing the 
shaft in its place, so that, should he become frightened, we 
could push the shafts back, and he would be free. He 
walked very quietly for a couple of hundred yards, and I 
was congratulating myseM that the worst was past, when, 
without any warning, he bounded as furiously as though 
he had been struck a severe blow with a whip. We held 
on, thinking after a leap or two he would become tranqui- 
lized ; but seeing him lay back his ears on his poll, and 
being fearful that he would kick, we shoved the sulky back. 
We again resumed leading him near the sulky, and I made 
up my mind that when we attempted to hitch him again, 
I would fasten him to the sulky, as I thought we had 
made a mistake in not doing so before. So I strapped up 



250 HOESE PORTRAITURE. 

his fore leg, and took him in a smooth field inside of the 
track ; we could not j)ull the sulky up behind him, as on 
its approach he would spring around in spite of the efforts 
of two men at his bit; so we laid the shafts across his back, 
and by carrying the wheels around, got him in position. 
As soon as the traces and false girth were fastened, we 
secured the kicking-straps, one being placed across the 
coupling, and the other just above the setting on of the 
tail, the ends buckled securely round the shafts. On 
moving him — with the leg still up — he commenced kicking 
as violently as his cramped situation would permit. It 
was as much as a man could do to hold the sulky down 
with all the leverage his grasp of the hind cross-bar gave 
him. The colt then succeeded in slightly splintering the 
whiffletree bar. We brought him on the track, drove him 
on three legs till he ought to have been subdued, but, see- 
ing no sign of it, I became apprehensive of injuring the 
fore leg that was doing all the work, and let the other 
down, taking the precaution to fasten a strap to his fet- 
lock and over the shaft, so that the foot could be pulled 
up at pleasure. It would be tedious to recount the work 
we gave him for the ensuing three weeks ; but we got him 
so that we could harness and hitch him without difficulty, 
and he would usually drive quietly. 

His education was progressing so very favorably that 
when leaving home, I directed the young man who assisted 
me to break him — and who is as good a hand to work 
with colts as I ever saw — to drive him daily. One very 
windy day he became frightened, broke the water-hook of 
the harness, enabling him to get his head down, and he 
began kicking so furiously that he threw the driver out 
of the sulky. The kicking-straps, fortunately, holding, 
drew the axle up out of the way of his legs. The man was 
unable to hold him, and away he went. After he ran a 
short distance, he stopped kicking, and cantered quickly 



PRlEPAEING FEED. 251 

up to tbe gate by the stable, where he suffered himself to 
be caught. Nothing was broken save the water-hook; so, 
refastening the check, the man drove him several times 
around the track, going more quietly than he had ever 
done before. I learned afterward that, to halter him, 
they got him into an old log stable, cramped him up in a 
corner of it with poles, where they had a regular battle 
royal, the colt coming out victorious, after having been 
scratched all up with the knots on the poles. His antip- 
athy to the blind bridle resulted from his being severely 
punished with one on to make him tractable, and I very 
much doubt whether it will ever be possible to drive hun 
with blinds. His not being able to hurt himself, from the 
kicking-straps throwing the sulky out of the way, and the 
harness and vehicle being strong enough not to break in 
the fracas, had a beneficial effect, which was shown by his 
exhibiting less fear at the approach of the sulky after- 
ward. 

Peeceptoe. — Kicking-straps alone will not hold a reso- 
lute, strong horse, if he gets his head down. With it up, 
his power to do mischief is very limited. We will go to 
the stable, and while you are jogging those you did not 
work this morning, I will superintend the cleaning and 
preparation of feed. This has not been necessary hereto- 
fore, the horses having all been fed at the same time. 
When the ratthng of the sieve was heard, their uneasiness 
was soon relieved by getting their respective portions. 
Now, to get along with the driving as we ought to, we will 
have to postpone the feeding of those that are exercising 
near the feeding-time, and it is important that those who 
are eating should not disturb the others in the stable. 
With the feed prepared, it can be given without noise 
Good, clean, sound oats, one or two years old, that have 
been kept in the stack long enough, before thrashing, to 



252 HOKSE POETEAITIJEE. 

sweat thoroughly, and weighing from thirty-five to forty 
pounds to the measured bushel, is the first consideration. 
We Avill use a strongly made forty-gallon cask, and put 
in it two bushels of oats, two of the boys, with shovels or 
spades, striking alternate blows, or rather chopping, till 
all the husks are loosened, that can be by this operation. 
When sufficiently chopped, carry to the green, and, spread- 
ing a hnse;>" or sheet, let the oats fall slowly from pans 
elevated as high as the boys can hold them. The breeze 
that is now exposing the silver hning of the leaves of that 
beautiful poplai-, is just strong enough to blow away all 
of the dust and light grains, so the portion retained is 
both heavy and clean. We will now take six quarts of 
hominy — the proportion will be greater hereafter — and 
after fanning all of the mealy particles out of it thoroughly, 
incorporate it with the oats on the hnsey. To eflect this, 
the boys will take the sheet by the corners, and by tossing 
it backward and forward, the union is soon accomplished. 
The work is continued till the receptacles intended for the 
reception of this mixed feed are filled. Another is filled 
with cleaned oats alone, and still another with prepared 
hominy. A barrel or two filled with bright ears of corn, and 
a box of bran complete this ; art of the commissary. We 
can then feed a horse whatever we desire, without waiting 
for preparation, and there is no rattling of the sieve to 
annoy those we do not wish disturbed. The best bran for 
oui" pui-pose is that obtained from winter wheat. The 
flinty husk enveloping the kernel on this is thinner and 
more easily separated from the floui-. There is less nutii- 
raent, of course, than in the bran of spring wheat, but 
nutriment is not what we want. We will use oat-meal or 
sago for gruels, the mashes intended to slightly iriitate 
the inner coating of the stomach and intestines, causing 
them to secrete more of the watery fluid, thus softening 
tlie evacuations. 



MIXING HOMINY AND OATS. 253 

The feed room must be kept strictly under lock and key, 
and the boys never suffered to measui-e the feed. The 
foreman will give them the amount each horse is to have ; 
and if I had not full confidence in his attending to this 
part of his duty, I should carry the key myself, even if it 
necessitated my attendance at the stable for every feed. 
Grooms becoming attached to the horses they are taking 
care of, are very apt to feed them more than they are told, 
and this mistaken kindness I have known followed by 
serious consequences. I will not detain you any longer 
from driving ; by the time you get through, the horses 
will have to go out for their walk. 

Pupil. — The young things are done with. When driv- 
ing I was cogitating over your manner of feeding, and am 
anxious to learn why you prefer mixing the hominy and 
oats together, and why you increase the proportion of 
hominy as the horses take sharper work. 

Pkeceptok. — We have hardly time now to discuss the 
effects of the different kinds of grain on the health of the 
horse. It is a matter I have thought a great deal about, 
yet I cannot flatter myself that I am capable of throwing 
much light on the subject. Oats are said to be the natu- 
ral food of the horse. Why they are claimed to be their 
natural aliment would be difficult to tell. If the horse 
originated in the East, as is generally believed, he must 
have been dieted on something else, as oats were not 
grown there at aU. Oats have the thickest husk of any of 
the cereals with which I am acquainted, there being only 
eight pounds of flour to fourteen of grain, while there are 
twelve of barley and thirteen of wheat in the same quan- 
tity. Corn has still less bran, and if a horse were confined 
to any one of these grains in a whole state, the greater 
bulk of oats to their weight might make them easier of 
digestion. 

But I wiU give you some of the reasons why I mix oats 



254 HORSE PORTRAITFEE. 

and hominy. There is more nutriment in the same bulk ; 
they are easier digested than when fed separately ; most 
horses Hke the mixture better, and will eat it when then 
they would mince over oats alone. Corn, being more laxa- 
tive than oats, has to be used with discretion, and I have 
known trainers to err in giving it to animals that would 
have been better without it. Washy, delicate horses, 
which can hardly take work enough to learn to trot even 
without going off their feed, with such a fidgety, nervous 
organization that any noise or change will discompose 
them, that scour when they are the least excited, that never 
need to be sweated under any circumstances, ought never 
to be fed corn or mashes. AU will agree with me that 
bran ought not to be fed to such as these ; but a majority 
will say, Why, these are the very subjects that ought to have 
corn ; it will increase their strength, being stronger food, 
and you can often get them to eat an ear or two of corn 
when they would not touch the oats. The English prac- 
tice of feeding beans, universally recommended by their 
best trainers for the washy, hght-waisted fellows, will be 
instanced ; and it will be argued, that, because beans and 
corn are of about the same specific gravity, they are ana- 
logous in their results. Beans have a constipating ten- 
dency, which makes them a proper corrective for the lax 
constitution, while corn increases the evil. 

We will have to take a more fitting time, however, to 
consider the question of aUment, which is a very impor- 
tant one. 

I will now leave you, having some business in town 
which requires my attention. Treat Never Mind as you 
did last night allowing him to graze half an hour. I will 
not be here veiy early in the morning, but I do not want 
you to drive him till I come. As we have now every 
prospect of good weather, I do not think there will be 



PEEPARING FOR THE SWEAT. 255 

anything to interfere with the contemplated sweat, day 
after to-morrow. 

Think of all you can that will have a bearing on the 
question of the utihty of this means of depletion, and 
we will try to obtain mutual advantage from the dis- 
cussion. 



CHAPTEE XIX. 

OBJECTS ( F SWEATING — HOW FAT IMPEDES THE ACTION OP THH 

HEART AND LUNGS — MANNER OP REMOVING IT — RACES LOST 

BY SUPPRESSED PERSPIRATION. 

Preceptor. — I am later in making my appearance this 
morning than I expected, and came very near being the 
cause of delaying Never Mind's work longer than would 
have been politic. 

Pupil. — The boy has given him an hour's walk, which I 
took the responsibility of ordering. 

Preceptor. — That was correct. We can hardly over- 
estimate the importance of being regular in the time of 
working a horse. Trotters, perhaps, can be allowed more 
latitude in this particular than race horses, yet the benefit 
they experience by taking their exercises at a definite hoiu' 
well repays exactness in dividing our time. Thei'e is no 
business in which regularity and order are more impera- 
tively demanded than that of training horses. It is very 
true we cannot reduce it to a question of performing a 
routine of duties at the same hour and minute of the day. 
K this were the case, training would be a simple concern, 
capable of being done by every one who is energetic and 
systematic. Rules could be laid down which, if followed, 
would certainly result in success, when, in truth, the great 
art in training is, when to change the work, feed, &c., ac- 
cording to the wants of the horse. It might be good po- 
licy with some horses, indeed, to change the hour of their 



PRECEDING THE SWEAT. 257 

work, tlie same as we frequently find the benefit of giving 
them their exercise in a different locahty. The brown fel- 
low, I expect, has the harness on. Hitch him to the sulky, 
jog him quietly twice round the track ; the third time let 
him go about a four-minute gait, till you get half way 
down the stretch, when you can drive him nearly to the 
top of his speed to the stand ; pull him up on the turn, 
as I want to see how he breathes. You can then jog him 
leisurely the reverse way of the track, twice round, and 
drive him to the barn. 

Pupil. — I hope I followed the directions to your satis- 
faction. He was eager to go when allowed to move faster 
than was customary, and he did not half like being pulled 
up after so short a brush. 

Peeceptok. — Your driving was worthy of commendation, 
and the horse performed even better than I anticipated. 
The action of his lungs and heart is very much impeded 
by inside fat, and to have kej)t him at the same sj)eed, 
that you drove the two hundred yards for half or three- 
quarters of a mile, would have overworked him, and caused 
serious injury. He has speed enough to trot in the very 
best company ; and with a moderate share of good luck, I 
think we will be successful in his preparation. The rea- 
sons I had for directing you to open him that short dis- 
tance, I will give you in the conversation we will have 
on sweating, its efiects and uses. Your presence not be- 
ing required at the stable till after dinner, we will go to 
the house, where our seat on the piazza will be more com- 
fortable, and where our attention will not be so likely to 
be distracted as when in the immediate neighborhood of 
the horses. Jane and the Falcon, I suppose, worked 
kindly. 

Pupil. — Neither of them gave me any trouble, but I 
would not like to bet on being able to pull Madam Jane 



258 HORSE PORrRAITURE. 

up in so short a space as I did Never Mind, after allo-wing 
her to get nearly to her best speed. 

Pkeceptoe. — We will have her as obedient as any of 
them, before we call on her to display her speed even for 
a short distance, and I feel safe in assuring you that she 
will be less trouble on that score than the one you have 
just driven. The bay mare's faults are those that have 
been engendered by bad handling ; her natural disposition 
is better than that of Never Mind, and her phrenological 
developments are certainly much superior. 

Pupil. — I think the long joiu-ney has been an advantage 
to the Falcon as well as King. He never drove as kindly 
on the track as he has since he has been here. 

Preceptor. — In place of ascribing the improvement to 
the journey on the cars, is it not more likely to follow 
your own improved skill in driving him ? It is not very 
flattering to our self-love to admit that we are more to 
blame than the horses, yet nine cases in ten it wiU 
prove so. 

Here we are comfortably seated, and have time enough 
before dinner to say a good deal on the topic we are going 
to discuss. Should I advance any ideas that are not clearly 
understood, or that you differ fi-om in opinion, do not hes- 
itate to inten'upt me, so as to have the matter stated in 
a clearer hght, or show by argument that the grounds I 
take are untenable. 

The natural outlets of the body are the skin, bowels, and 
kidneys. With their aid we get rid, of what the old train- 
ers called the waste and spare. We can increase the action 
of all of them by articles given as food or medicine. The 
evacuations through the numerous pores of the skin are 
what we call sweating, the effects of which — when properly 
ised — being to bring a horse into such a state, called con- 
dition, that he can do, without injury, what would be an 
impossibility for him to perform without its aid. I have 



KNOWLEDGE OF AN^ATOMY. 259 

signified my objections to stimulating the bowels and kid- 
neys by cathartics and diuretics as aids of training, and I 
must, necessarily, show that condition can be acquired 
without their help. Sweating has two distinct things to 
perform : the first, to give freedom to the respiratory or- 
gans and the action of the heart, which we may call inter- 
nal relief; the second, to promote the strength and activity 
of the muscles, and lighten the load to be carried, which, 
with t}ie same propriety, may be termed external rehef. 
The organs of respiration are the lungs, bronchial tubes, 
trachea or windpipe, glottis or valve, at the extremity of 
the trachea, nasal passages and nostrils. Knowing that I 
am incapable, it would be foolish in me to attempt a lecture 
on hippophysiology, and in ofifering the remarks I am go- 
ing to make, I do not present them as being scientifically 
correct. I lament greatly the want of a suitable knowledge 
of anatomy and physiology, which would have hghtened 
my labor in many instances, and when I have been groping 
in the dark, uncertain whether the little glimmer I could 
discover was a scintillation which could be depended on, 
or a false Hght that would lead me further astray, the pos- 
session of this knowledge would have enabled me to detect 
the imposture, and pursue the right course without the loss 
of time. If it were my intention to continue in the busi- 
ness of training horses I would, notwithstanding my age 
— which makes it harder work to learn — devote a portion 
of my time to this study which I have neglected, and by 
enrolling myself in the class of some competent instructor 
in veterinary science, try to rectify the want by rigid study, 
especially in those branches pertaining to respiration. 

It requires study to understand the workings of the or- 
gans of circulation and breathing, and I must admit that 
I am not capable of understanding any of the treatises 
that I have read on this subject sufficiently to explain them, 
or to make them even as intelligible to you as they are to 



260 HOKSE PORTKAITUEE. 

myself. I would urge you to take the first opportunity of 
acquiring a scientific education, so far as may be necessai-y 
to know the physiological and anatomical structure of the 
animals you expect to breed and train. "VMien the winter- 
season puts a stop to practical training, join a class of ve- 
terinary students, and acquaint the teacher of what you 
want to learn, when he will order a course of study that 
will be of the greatest importance to you hereafter. Doubt- 
less when you acquire this information you will look back 
to our present conversation, and see many errors, though 
the deductions drawn from the statements I am going to make 
I know to he correct. They have been demonstrated by my 
practice, and since I have followed my present plan of 
sweating I have never had a horse become baked or fever- 
ish, which was frequently the case when I sweated them, 
without thinking of the causes why it should be done, or 
was aware of the results that might be expected to follow. 
The action of the heart is so much identified with the 
lungs that both have to be taken into consideration. 
Quicken the motion of the one, and you accelerate the 
other, but not in the same proportion. For instance, when 
a horse is breathing tranquilly, the respirations are from 
four to eight in a minute, and the pulsations thii-ty-six to 
forty. As you increase the motion of the lungs by fast 
work, the respirations will be multiphed, till the ratio will 
be as one to two, possibly two to three. Suppose that, in 
driving Never Mind, you had kept up the rate of speed 
you took in the brush, until he became distressed. The 
respu'ations would probably have been forty or forty-five 
times in a minute, with the pulsations at seventy-five to 
eighty. The inspirations at times would be a good deal 
longer than the expirations, frequently sighing and "blow- 
ing out" suddenly. This would arise from the amount of 
adipose matter interfering with the heart and lungs, re- 
stricting the fii'st, and enfeebling the others ; and it would 



THE EESPIEATOET ORGAlSrS. 261 

be a long time before lie would recover, and the circulation 
and breathing be restored to tlieir natural condition. We 
will also suppose that lie became thus distressed in going 
half or three-quarters of a mile. We get rid of the super- 
fluities, and drive him till he exhibits great fatigue, having 
gone perhaps two or three miles. The respirations have 
increased to two-thirds of the throbs of the heart. Still 
the expirations and inspirations are nearly equal, and there 
is very httle if any sighing. He blows out freely and for- 
cibly, recovering the natural breathing in much less time 
than before. In the first case he would have been " dead 
beat ; " in the second, by taking a pull, and easing him for 
a short time, he would " come again," and make another 
struggle. This would show that rapid resj)iration and 
arterial action can be kept up if the organs are in a proper 
state. The main muscle acting on the lungs, and assisting 
in respiration, is the diaphragm. In forcible expiration 
the abdominal muscles act with great power. It will be 
useless to take much time to show that if an excessive de- 
posit of fat exists, their aid will be much diminished. Fat 
within the chest is laid in layers beneath the serous coat- 
ing, and about the base of the heart. It materially affects 
the breathing by encroaching on the pulmonary chamber, 
and interfering with the expansion of the lungs, so that 
the minute air cells cannot be filled to the extent of their 
capacity as they can when freed fi'om this obstruction. If 
the heart is healthy, there is room within the pericardium 
for all of its motions, contraction and expansion not being 
greatly restricted by the outside coating of fat. But this 
coating does effect the equahzation, or rhythm of the puls- 
ations, when the action is hurried, so it becomes necessary 
to remove the obstruction here as elsewhere. 

The change in the blood, from the time it leaves the 
heart by the arteries, till it is returned by the veins, after 
having been aerated in the lungs, is a wonderful provision 

12 



262 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

of nature for it to obtain properties from the atmosphere 
essential to the existence of hfe. The passage of the blood 
to the extremities of the vessels that convey it, is accom- 
panied, in sweating, by another phenomenon, viz., the for- 
cing of the moisture through the pores of the skin, which 
we call sweat. In the evacuations from the bowels and 
kidneys there is never a particle of fat, and the emaciation 
following purging or excessive staling is not due to fat 
being carried from the body directly, but to causes result- 
ing therefrom. In exudation, however, the oily part of 
the blood is got rid of, as well as the watery fluid that ac- 
companies it. You wiU perceive, when a horse takes his 
first sweats, the moisture is of a thick, unctuous nature, 
forming a lather like soap when it meets with fi-iction 
from the clothes or harness. As the horse's body becomes 
freed from impurities, the sweat becomes thinner and 
clearer, finally, having the appearance of clean water, as 
it trickles down his legs. The skin, then, appears to be 
the most direct way of getting rid of the fat, and not only 
the most direct, but the most natural. 

The consequence of the fall of man was, that his bread 
should be obtained by labor — "the sweat of the brow" 
was to be the lot of all of the descendants of Adam ; and 
let horse or man be required to exert himself sufficiently, 
the hindrances to that exertion are got rid of by those 
natural outlets, the pores of the skin. 

The fat, in the first place, having been deposited by the 
blood, the loss of the oily portion in sweating is replaced 
by the absorbants working on the surplus in store, remov- 
ing it from where the original deposit was made ; and as 
the sweatings are continued, exhausting all that we desire 
to get rid of. There are probably other changes that take 
place in the blood, one being a greater degree of fluidity, 
perhaps occasioned by an increase of heat. It would ap- 
pear that the abstraction of the watery particles would 



REMOVAL OF INSIDE FAT. 263 

have a contrary effect, yet I ani satisfied that this is coun- 
teracted by an opposing force, which I cannot explain, 
rendering the arteries and veins less liable to engorgement 
than when the circulating fluid had properties which made 
it more difficult to propel through them. From the relief 
afforded by copious and repeated sweatings, we might 
infer, that the abstraction of the fatty globules in the 
blood was the means of lessening the labor of the heart, 
which is of the greatest importance when the blood is sent 
bounding along more than twice as fast as when the ani- 
mal is at rest. The theory that the pulsation keeps time 
to the step, is, I believe, correct when the action is much 
hurried. Hence, when a horse is making a fraction more 
than two bounds in a second, the work of the heart is 
greatly increased, and the labor of that vital force-pump 
would be much lessened by the blood being easier to urge 
through the tubing of the veins, as fast as the acceler-ated 
pace required that it should be. 

It wiU readily be seen that nearly all the inside fa< will 
have to be got away before the respirating organs are 
capable of performing their functions in a manner that 
will endure fast work. The heart is also facilitated iv its 
operations by the removal, and the diaphragm and abvlo- 
minal muscles can act with far greater force, the whole 
internal economy is in a manner changed, the muscles of 
the stomach are strengthened, and digestion is better and 
more rapid. The gastric juices are more intimately blend- 
ed with the contents of the stomach, and the waste for 
the bowels to carry off is less acrid and easier expelled. 
We will also find that the same process will get .id of the 
external fat, and while the load is lightened fcx' the horse 
to carry, and the muscular system is broug^' o to a higher 
state of vigor, it also assists in the ey.pansion of the 
chest. The intercostal muscles or the mT'.scles between the 
ribs have a good deal to do with respirr.don, and the i-educ- 



264 HOARSE PORTRAITURE. 

tion of the neck removes the unnecessary load of fat which 
siUTOunds the windpij)e, giving more room for it to convey 
the air to the bronchial tubes, and through them to the 
lungs. I have just said that the same process gets rid of 
fatj wherever it is deposited, either among the internal 
viscera, or where it surrounds the muscles. This is so. 
yet we can modify it in practice, so that the effects will be 
greater in absorbing the interior than the exterior deposit. 

This is the first thing to be done. Till we remove from 
the lungs and heart the adipose deposit that hinders their 
working, we cannot give exercise enough to be of much 
benefit to the muscles of locomotion. The first sweats, 
then, will have to be given independent of speed, which 
these organs are yet unable to endure. In England, it is 
well known that if a horse used for hunting becomes much 
tired, he will never after be as good as he was. No matter 
how long the interval of rest, his imj)aired powers can 
never be recuperated. In all probability the injury is to 
the Ixmgs ; in the excitement of the chase, the symptoms 
of being exhausted are overlooked, and animals are forced 
to struggle along till their structure is injured. We are 
all aware how much more acute the sufferings are from 
the exhaustion of the lungs, than the tiring of the muscles. 
Thus nature warns us of the greater danger attending the 
overworking of them. The sweating of Never Mind to- 
mo^Tow will be a practical exemplification of the mode I 
adopt to relieve the respiratory organs, so there will be 
no need of dilating on the plan to be followed to accom- 
plish tl 's end. We have in a cursory manner glanced at 
the effects of sweating on the internal organs ; we will 
afterwards discuss its merits in relieving a horse, when in 
distress from rapid work. 

The questioii3 attending sweating for the outward for- 
mation are not si complicated. The muscles are masses 

of elastic fibres, teiTninated by the tendons on which they 

t 



BENEFIT TO THE MU^O". ES. 265 

act by contraction and relaxation. Thus while one set 
exert theii* force in one direction by contraction, the oppo- 
site are lenghtened so as not to interfere with the power 
applied. Some run parallel with the tendons, others cross 
these in an oblique direction, and still others at nearly 
right angles to the first. The fat is deposited where they 
overlap each other, filling up the interstices and giving 
prominence to the muscles by pushing the outside one 
out. In a very fat horse, there is a further deposit of adi- 
pose matter between the skin and the body, sometimes 
covering the muscles of the ribs to quite a depth. This is 
entirely useless, while that in the interstices has a duty to 
perform of great importance, viz., lubricating the fibres so 
that the friction at the points of attrition is much lessened. 
The muscles are completely filled with a network of blood- 
vessels, their ramifications being so extensive that the eye 
is unable to detect their presence. The muscles become 
harder and more tendinous as they are made to perform 
active duty, till what was a pulpy, fleshy mass, becomes 
fined down to a strong, elastic substance, very different 
and much more suitable to the necessities of rapid pro- 
gression. This change takes place as the result of exer- 
cise, and does not follow the removal of the fat, when that 
removal is dependent on other agencies than muscular 
exertion. While the Roman or hot-air bath would be a 
very proper and powerful auxiliary in removing interior 
and exterior fatty matter in the first stages of preparation, 
its services could never further this change of the muscu- 
lar system. Exercise is the only means of effecting it, 
and the amount of work best adapted to effect this end is 
varied in almost every animal that has to undergo the 
conditioning process. The first sweats, however, are 
nearly identical in all horses having* the same amount of 
extraneous matter to remove, so that we will be less likely 
to err in this stage than when we make a racing pace one 



266 HO^SE PORTRAITTJEE. 

of the concomitants of sweating. The removal of the fat 
in the cavities formed by the lapping or crossing of the 
muscles is a question of time, and much injury would re- 
sult fi'om attempting to get rid of it sooner than is pru- 
dent. It must never be completely eradicated, as there 
must not only be a sufficiency left for lubrication, but a 
surplus that will meet any extra call that exertion, pro- 
tracted longer than we looked, for, wiU entail. As the fat 
is wasted, there ought to be a projDortional increase of 
muscle, which wiU invariably be the case if the minutiaB 
of training have been carefully attended to. 

Sweating under clothes has also a local effect. This is 
an advantage which no other system of depletion can 
boast of, and the benefits of which can hardly be over- 
estimated. If it were otherwise, we would be compelled 
to bring one part of the liorse's body much lower than we 
would like it, in order that some other part might be in a 
situation to stand the effects of fast work. To exemplify 
this, we will instance the effects of sweating on the neck, 
chest, and loin. The difference in the necks of horses in 
a natural state is very marked. In one we will find the 
long, delicate neck, perhaps a little drooping in front of 
the withers, so small at the junction of the head that you 
could nearly encircle it with your hands. The next is 
larger at the shoulders, fuller in the crest, but equally as 
well cut out in the throttle, and better at the joining of 
the head. The third is larger everywhere, and short, 
thicker even at the throat-latch than the first was at the 
shoulder, with a crest so thick and flabby that it hangs 
over on one side. The jowls are also covered with meat, 
and, what is much worse, the space between the jaws is 
also filled with flesh and enlarged glands. 

While size may be a measui-e of power in other parts 
of the body, an overgrown neck is a sure mark of inabihty 
to sustain a fast pace, not alone fi'om interfering with the 



LOCAL SWEATING. 267 

free passage of air in the breathing-tubes, and the free 
passage of blood through the jugular veins and carotid 
arteries, but the extra weight to be carried is in the very 
worst place for the ease of the horse. It would be a safe 
estimate that the last described neck would weigh fifty 
pounds more than the second, and more than double as 
much as the first. If these horses were identical in every 
other particular, there would be a vast preponderance in 
favor of the two with lighter necks on that score alone. 
But when we come to consider the effects on the breath- 
ing apparatus, and the stricture on the return of the blood 
from the brain, we will be convinced that the large-necked 
animal is totally unfit to go any distance fast, without ar- 
tificial aid to diminish the useless volume of matter in the 
neck. Now, if we were forced to waste all parts of him 
alike, it would be evident that we would weaken some 
portions so much that the balance would be equally as 
much disturbed, and the part that would fail the most 
would be the loin. A deep chest, sweUing barrel, and 
broad loin are generally looked upon as betokening 
strength of constitution. 

A severe strain of the loin is followed by partial paraly- 
sis of the hind quarters ; the legs are drawn feebly along, 
and the animal moves by dragging himself with his fore 
feet. The whole propelling power of a horse being in his 
hind quarters, it is evident that anything that will weaken 
that force will materially retard the velocity with which 
he is capable of moving. The back-bone is braced with 
strong fiUets parallel with it and joined to the bony pro- 
jections, and the large muscles that cover the bony frame- 
work are heaped up in masses at this point. If we dimi 
nish their force by repeated sweatings, we lose much with- 
out any corresponding gain ; so, to reduce the overloaded 
neck we have recourse to the local application of clothing, 
and thus effect the object desired. There is nothing Hke 



268 HOKSE PORTEAITUEE. 

the danger of over-sweating the neck there is even in the 
chest, which will also bear a great deal of reduction. We 
may reduce the muscles that cover the shoulder-blade too 
much, but the intercostal and abdominal muscles will bear 
a diminution of their tissue, if that is necessary, to get rid 
of the fat in their immediate neighborhood. Of all your 
horses, the Chpper is the only one that carries a heavy 
neck, and his is nothing hke so bad as that of many very 
successful trotters. The "blood" here works to advantage, 
and I will cheerfully admit that, so far, it is a gTeat and 
lasting benefit, not only in giving a configuration of neck 
that is better adapted to speed, but much lessening the 
work necessary to get the horse in order. 

In saying that we would sweat Never Miad to-morrow, 
and again in a week fi-om that time, I did not mean to be 
understood that we would fix on a definite time for sweat- 
ing. The interval between the sweats will not only vary 
in the different horses, but the same horses will probably 
go longer at one period than another between them. 
Causes that we cannot now foresee will aflfect the ani- 
mals frequently, and a horse may require to be sweated 
every few days, or there may be weeks intervening. There 
is not much use in speculating now on what such causes 
might be, as undoubtedly we will have a practical illustra- 
tion of some of them before the season is ended. We will 
find a great difference in the aptitude to take on flesh by 
the same horse under apparently the same circumstances. 
The feeding may be alike ; the driving and exercising the 
same, — there may not even be any great dissimilarity in 
the weather; yet we will find that the horse in an unaccount- 
able manner has accumulated more fat at one time than 
another. It will be obvious that, ia such a case, the sweats 
will have to be more frequent than they were. I am not 
fond of drawing a horse "very fine," as it is termed, when 



SEASOKIKG THE FLESH. 269 

that fineness consists in a tucked-up flank and an emacia- 
ted look. 

The day and night previous to a race, a trial or sweat 
will generally be found sufficient to curtail the contents 
of the stomach and bowels so that the work can be given 
safely. The inside of a horse must "be clean," i. e., free 
from fat. The neck must also be relieved fi-om weight, 
and the j)ressure of glandular and muscular fiber must be 
taken away from the windpipe. The ribs must not be 
loaded to impede their dilation and contraction as the 
wants of the lungs require, and the muscles in no part 
the body must be hindered from acting with fuU force 
and celerity. Some horses wdll have a more robust, fleshy 
appearance when in condition than others, and it will re- 
quire much thought and observation to find out the 
amount of flesh each one should have when best fitted for 
arduous labor. 

There is, of course, a distinction to be made in horses 
going different distances. A horse, however, may be able 
to trot three miles in as high condition as when in the 
best form to trot one, but the fl.esh will require a good 
deal more " seasoning " to go the longer distance. This 
seasoning must be accomplished without getting the sys- 
tem in a feverish state ; if that should happen, the flesh 
will be "baked" and the horse become "stale.' There is 
usually more danger of this occurring when the horse is 
trotting in races, than in the exercise preceding them. 
The much harder work a horse endures in trotting a race 
is overlooked. The three, five, or more heats are perhaps 
duly kept in mind, but the scoring, which may have been 
the most trying part of a race, is unthought of. A horse, 
when being sweated, meets with careful after-treatment, 
and all that care and skill can accomplish is performed. 
The distance intended to be gone over is made, and the 
flow of perspiration encouraged or checked as the trainer 

12* 



270 HOKSE POETEAITUKE. 

thinks best. Between the heats of a race there is not the 
same oj)portunity. We aim to have the horse ready to 
resume the contest after a stipulated interval of time, 
which is greatly prolonged by the difficulty in obtaining 
a start. The horses rush to the score at their best sj)eed; 
one is pulled up on the turn ; another goes a full quarter 
of a "mile, and others are either overworked or become 
chilled, waiting for the line to be re-formed. 

The duties of men who judge trotting-races are very 
onerous, and the situation is one of gTeat discomfort, not 
the least of which is, the trouble of starting the horses, 
originating from the perversity of the di'ivers. The judges 
being anxious to give every one a good send-off, try time 
after time to start them all so level that there will be no 
room for censure. The drivers aware of this make a great 
disf)lay of jogging up the stretch, and working for an ad- 
vantage as they come to the wire. Many of them are not 
contented with an even start, hoping by delay the patience 
of the judges will become worn out, and they will finally 
get an advantage in the send-off. 1 think some of these 
fellows like to make a display of themselves before the 
occupants of the stands, and that vanity is theii' ruling 
passion. In days of yore, when gorgeous livery was worn, 
and satin, velvet, and silk, embroidered with gold and sil- 
ver lace, shone in the brightest colors, there might be an 
excuse for wanting to show their new clothes " with but- 
tons all over them." But now-a-days, when the shirt 
sleeves are considered the most appropriate costume to 
drive a race in, this cannot be the cause. They raust 
want to show their beauty of face and form, and thereby 
captivate the fancy o± some of the blooming damsels that 
grace the coui'se with their presence. There are many 
trotting-horse drivers that I have never seen, yet, if there 
be an Adonis among them, I will give more to see him pa- 
raded than I would to see the eighth wonder of the world. 



SWEATING BETWEEN THE HEATS. 271 

A. majority of those I am acquainted with would be en- 
titled to the knife "Simon Suggs" carried so long, and 
there is not one that would divert attention from the su- 
perior beauty of the horse he sits behind. If the judges 
would insist on the warming-up being done before the 
time for starting — which should be punctually kept — and 
not allow the diivers to go above the three in five distance 
to score, place a steward there to marshal them, and in 
case of not getting the word, compel them to pull their 
horses up in a certain specified distance, the annoyance 
would be greatly modified. This would bring the interval 
between heats nearly to the time the rule gives, would 
meet the hearty approbation of the spectators, and greatly 
increase the attendance at races. 

Pupil. — You have not yet informed me of the reasons 
why you wanted Never Mind to make the short bi-ush ; 
and, also, why you required him to be pulled up when he 
had passed the stand. 

Peeceptob. — My object was to notice how he breathed 
when the lungs were first required to act a great deal 
faster than they had been accustomed to. I also wanted to 
witness the expirations and inspirations, and try if I could 
obtain any additional light into the cause of the cough, 
which you ascribe to a shght irritation of the glottis. I 
think, from his not showing any undue labor in breathing, 
that your conjecture is right. If it arises from a chronic 
disease of the lungs there would have been more abdomi- 
nal labor in the expirations. The brush was so short that 
healthy lungs would not show any want of power to per- 
form the task required of them; but restricted as they were 
by fat, any organic defect would have been apparent. The 
day before sweating I always like to give fast work in pro- 
portion to the condition of the animal to perform it. I 
think that the lungs being called into action at that time, 
is favorable to the exertion of them in the sweat, and no 



272 HOESE POETRAITUEE. 

matter liow slowly we work a horse to start a flow of per- 
spiration, you will perceive that the breathing wiU be very 
much accelerated. 

Pupil. — There is another point I desu'e miTch to have 
explained — the effect of inducing copious persj)ii-ation in 
the interval between the heats. 

Pkeceptoe. — And a very important subject that is, as 
numerous races are lost by a want of knowledge in this 
particular. There are many things in relation to sweating 
that I have not touched ujDon yet, intending to notice 
them as they actually come in practice. We cannot give 
the subject too much thought, however, as I have implicit 
confidence in the benefits oi forced perspii-ation, but which 
may utterly fi-ustrate the very best management, if not 
rightly controlled. I have attempted to show that a fast 
pace is accompanied by rapid action of the heart and 
lungs. The heart has to beat quickly to furnish the mus- 
cles with the blood required for them, in their rapid con- 
*a."actions and expansions. The lungs must move quickly, 
■n order that the blood shall become properly aerated, 
(.(iving oif the carbon which is expelled in expiration, and 
mbibing the oxygen which inspiration furnishes. In this 
-'apid transfer of the blood through the lungs to the ex- 
tremities, and back to the heart, a great deal of heat is 
evolved, which ought to be removed to the surface, where 
it is dissij)ated in the atmosphere. This must be done by 
the blood throwing off the watery portion through the 
pores of the skin. The evaporation reduces the heat of 
the body, and relieves the internal organs. The change in 
the blood itself — formerly spoken of — which renders it 
easier to be driven through the arterial system, also 
gTeatly assists in relieving the labored action of the heart. 
It is evident, then, that if a horse performs the labor that 
ought to induce fi-ee perspu-ation, and he does not sweat, 
there must be gi'eat internal suffering, and which caimot 



SWEATING BETWEEN THE HEATS. 273 

be speedily relieved in any other manner. It would also be 
evident that if a horse were in this situation, relief would 
not follow his being kejDt in a quiescent state. That would 
aggravate the difficulty, especially if the theory of the syn- 
chronism of the pulse and step be correct. 

Should a vehicle, that is going at the rate of twenty 
miles an hour, be brought to a full stop, its contents — ^if 
not fastened to it — keeps up the same rate tUl the force 
of gTavitation arrests the momentum, by bringing the 
body to the ground. In a hke manner, arresting the ra- 
pid motion of the blood would be attended with very 
serious results. Any one can satisfy himself of the truth 
of this assumption, by running rapidly till his accelerated 
breathing occasions distress. He cannot sit down and 
remain passive ; the suffering is unendurable in that po- 
sition, and he is forced by his feehngs to keep moving, till 
the circulation and breathing are moderated by degrees. 
A horse is pulled up after a heat ; the heaving flank, qui- 
vering nostril and distended eyelids show distress, while 
the surface is hardly moistened with perspiration. It 
would be madness to stop the horse in this situation ; he 
must be clothed — not too heavily — cantered or trotted 
slowly, till the circulation and respiration are partially 
restored and then blankets thrown on till a good scrape 
is obtained. 

In remarking that the horse must not be clothed too 
heavily, I want to have you understand that there is a 
projier medium to be observed, so as to induce free per- 
spiration. It is a mistaken notion that the more clothes 
a horse is "wrapped in, the more likely he will be to sweat. 
I presume your western experience has made you familiar 
with the "fever and ague," and if fortunate enough to 
have esca^Ded the scourge yourself you have witnessed 
others overtaken with the " chills." The first stage is the 
cold, shivering one ; the second, the burning fever, in which 



274 HOESE POETKAITURE. 

the sufferer drinks a great deal of cold water, which, redu- 
cing the heat, finally brings the body to a proper tempera- 
tm'e, and copious perspiration follows, relieving the pa- 
tient from the sharp pains that have been shooting from 
his head through every bone in his body. Although ex- 
treme lassitude is felt, this sweating stage terminates the 
attack. 

When the sweat has fairly broken out, the extra clothes 
can be jjut on, which will prolong the flow, and guard 
against the collapse of the pores. If we do not succeed in 
inducing a free flow of sweat, there will be no use in push- 
ing a horse to trot another heat. He could not possibly win 
under the circumstances, and his life or future powers 
would be in imminent hazard. Should he perspire freely, 
the relief is almost magical in the suddenness of its ope- 
ration. The breathing becomes regular, the haggard look 
is gone, and his eye and ear denote cheerfulness ; the 
rigid muscles are relaxed, and he is soon quite another 
horse in every particular. The "cooling out," after the 
flow has lasted as long as is desirable, will be considered 
when you see it exemphfied in practice. That of Never 
Mind to-morrow will not elucidate it, as we are not 
limited in time, while between heats of a race we must 
be ready at the ringing of the bell to "prepare our 
horses." 

Pupil. — Only a short time ago I witnessed a race that 
I thought was lost from the neglect of applying this man- 
ner of relief, and I believe the only one lost by the animal 
during the whole season. The race took place over the 
Chicago Driving-Park, and the contestants were horses 
of the very first celebrity in trotting-annals. The con- 
ditions were mile heats, best three in five. Eiders taking 
the place of the almost inevitable sulky attracted gi'eat 
attention, as both horses were acknowledged to be superior 
to all others when allowed to don the racing gear, and 



BEAUTY AT THE KACE-COUKSE. 275 

thougli there might be those that could successfully con- 
tend with them when a veliicle was part of the weight, 
there would be " no show for them in this rig," and the 
two would be first and second in a field comprising the 
picked trotters of the world. Although both thus stood 
in the fit'out rank, the claims of the one to the champion- 
ship was so fully acknowledged that extravagant odds 
were offered on his winning, and the opinion was so ge- 
nerally coincided in that these large odds were not taken. 

The attendance was large, attracted by the well-merited 
fame of the horses, and the desu-e to see them perform in 
a way that was favorable to the making of fast time. The 
favorite had trotted a few days before, making in harness 
faster time than had ever been accomplished by pacer or 
trotter on the track previously, and anticipation pictured 
a still higher flight, one that would excel the most re- 
nowned of his recorded feats. The httle betting done 
was on time, and there were not many that liked to back 
the " Scythebearer " without stipulating that the beatings 
of the watches should denote considerably less space than 
had been occupied in the other race. When the horses 
appeared at the call of the judges loud plaudits welcomed 
their approach. The favorite was enthusiastically cheered, 
and the ladies joined in the demonstration with waving 
handkerchiefs and clapping hands. 

There was much to gratify the eye in the whole picture. 
The ladies' stand presented such an array of bright colors 
and beauteous faces, that I wondered how Col. Wood, of 
the museum, had selected the one modeled as the Chicago 
beauty. I know that it would have sorely puzzled me to 
have made the selection, as it did not need many glances 
to discover that there were a score in the stand all worthy 
of being immortalized in purest Parian marble, while the 
carriages inside the coui'se were gloriously radiant with 
beauty in all of its forms. The horses looked well, their 



276 HOKSE PORTKAITURE. 

glossy coats showing that the grooms' duties had been 
faithfully performed. Your remarks about the absence 
of good looks in the drivers of trotters would only parti- 
ally apply here, as the rider of the favorite was a very 
pleasant looking young man, of clear complexion and 
tranquil blue eye. There was a tuft of sandy hau' on his 
chin that did not add much to his appearance, yet he was 
rather above the average in good looks. The other rider 
would have been fairly entitled to the jacknife from Pren- 
tiss or Jonce Hooper ; still there was much to be pleased 
with in his peculiar physiognomy. Notwithstanding a 
palpable squint, there was a flash in his black and restless 
eye that surely denoted genius of some kind, and though 
his seat on the horse was not so graceful as his competi- 
tor, he showed a knowledge of the business, and handled 
his horse, the most difficult of the two to manage, with 
the greatest skill. While the other might get as much out 
of a horse in a trial, or, perhaps ride in a race as well, 
where the competitors were limited, let it come to a close 
struggle in a large field, and the little round-shouldered, 
cross-eyed, keen, resolute-looking one should carry my 
money. 

There was not a great deal of scoring to try the patience 
of spectators or judges, and at the second attempt the bell 
tapped, and away they went for the first heat. The favor- 
ite justified the expectations of his admirers, by gradually 
drawing away from the other, and at the quarter pole was 
three or four lengths in advance. He increased his pace 
on the back-stretch and when the half-mile was done, 
eight or ten lengths would have scarcely measured the dis- 
tance between them. By the time the three-quarters of a 
mile was reached he evidently slackened his speed, for the 
other, it was supj)Osec!, to overtake him, and make the 
semblance of a race down the home side. The rear horse 
was gaining fast, and at the distance post liis head was at 



A favorite's loss of a aACE. 277 

tLe leader's girth. "When within thirty yards of the stand 
they both broke, galloping over the score, and in my opin- 
ion, the favorite slightly behind. The time was slow for 
the horses, a good deal behind what was made in the har- 
ness race, and groans and cries of disapprobation met the 
animals, that but a few minutes ago were liailed with accla- 
mations. How evanescent is popularity! There were 
many causes conducing to slow time, but not one of these 
was considered. 

A great majority of the vast concourse were disappoint- 
ed, and when the judges announced the heat as belonging 
to the favorite, and gave the official time, there were jeers 

and calls to "bring out , he can beat that." It was 

some time before the tumult could be stilled. I told one 
of the judges, that I thought the other was entitled to the 
heat, and he rephed that they thought of making it a dead 
heat, but that would only protract the race, as the favorite 
would win any way. I was laughed at for suggesting that, 
perhaps, the other might be the victor, as the horse did 

not live that could beat that way of going. From 

the consultations between the owner and rider, and their 
request that the judges would be careful not to give the 
rider the word unless he was moving well and level, it was 
apparent that they meant to do their best to wipe out the 
disgrace of the preceding heat, and, by showing time that 
would satisfy the most exacting, regain the applause they 
had forfeited. Their wishes were gi-atified by a capital 
start for the second heat, both horses trotting very fast as 
the bell rung the chime that signified onward. There was 
nothing to describe different from the other heat, only 
that the favorite was further ahead than before at the half 
mile. The watches showing a great improvement in the 
time, and as it was made known in the judges' stand, the 
vice-president turning to me, Ip's face fairly glowing with 



278 HORSE PORTEAITUEE. 

excitement, and said, "I told you so ; lie is the only real 
trotter in the world !" 

On entering the home stretch, I could see, from the mo- 
tions of the favorite, that the rider was urging him to his 
best j)ace. He had not come far beyond the three-quarter 
pole, however, when he broke — recovered — broke again, 
struck a lumbering, tired gallop, and the thing was out. 
The other horse made up the long gaj), caught him as he 
commenced trotting again — they stayed together for a few 
strides, when the gallant black rattled away from him, 
coming home faster than he had trotted any portion of 
the road before, his head oscillating from side to side, and 
his ears gayly playing backwards and forwards, as he came 
under the wire, many lengths in advance of his tired com- 
petitor. There was no smile on the hps of the rider of 
the victor. The check might be flushed a very little, but 
the sparkle of the eye told what he concealed in every 
other feature, — the exultation at conquering the hitherto 
invincible hero of the trotting-tiu-f. 

It was apparent to every one that something was wrong 
with the quondam favorite. The time of the heat was 
Easter than the other, yet not so fast as he ought to trot 
nearly every day in the week. The rider ascribed it to 
the cinders cutting the tender part of the body, as they 
were thrown against it by the rapidly moving fore feet. 
That could not be the cause, as the same thing must have 
happened in the former race. As soon as he got permis- 
sion to dismount, the rider took the horse a short distance 
up the stretch, a light blanket was thrown on him, his 
body was rubbed, and a man at each leg briskly manipu- 
lated the surface of them. I thought then, and am still 
more confident in the truth of the supposition now, that 
if he had been briskly moved under clothes enough to in- 
duce fi'ee perspiration, scraped, and kept in motion till the 
order was given to saddle, he would have won the race, 



INTERNAL DISTURBANCE. 279 

vvlu'ch he lost by standing still, no matter how many men 
v/ere Irjdng to keep the circulation to the extremities by 
hmd-rubbing. The next heat was a repetition of the 
second, when he was very properly withdrawn, and. an- 
other instance added to the many of the " glorious uncer- 
tainties of racing." His rider told me that the horse was 
well, that he was eating his daily allowance with a good 
appetite, and that he could not account for his defeat in 
any other manner than that the cinders worried him so 
that he would not trot. 

Peeceptoe. — It is hard to determine what the trouble 
was, if internal disturbance was not the cause, which 
the sweating would have relieved. We will now go to 
dinner, resuming our conversation when that has been 
discussed. 



CHAPTEE XX. 

PRETTY WOMEN — MOKE ABOUT SWEATING — DBIVING XHTD 
SHOEING MAY. 

Pupil. — ^WMle you are smoMng these rougli barked 
cigars, the consideration of other themes besides sweating- 
will, I suppose, be admissible. If you are inclined to 
hsten, I will recount to you the ad-venture of meeting the 
next to the handsomest woman I ever saw. By the way, 
the plan is a good one of characterizing the lady Ave sre 
describing, as not at the very summit of perfection, and I 
■mil follow it, as thereby every pretty woman of my ac- 
quaintance -will imagine that she is the exception alluded 
to, whereas, if I said the handsomest, I would have former 
protestations thrown in my teeth, and a row raised for my 
insincerity. 

Pkeceptok. — You will please me with the history, though 
I must take exceptions to your construction of the reasons 
why I called Miss P. the second in point of beauty I 
had ever seen. The first was so pre-eminently beautiful, 
that should I attempt to portray her, I could hardly tell 
you the color of her hair or eyes. It would be like looking 
on the noontide sun to discover the spots, which astrono- 
mers tell us mar its glorious radiance, which should we 
look for, the eye and brain would be dazed in the vain 
endeavor to find anything to detract from the bright lu- 
minary. You deserve to be well castigated, not alone for 
the absence of truth in your protestations, but for having 



THE ST. LOUIS FAIE. 281 

the impudence to tell more than one lady that you thought 
her the most beautiful. 

Pupil. — I was just as sincere in the twentieth case as 
the first, and when teUing the last fair one she was the 
prettiest creature I ever saw, I firmly believed it for the 
time being ; and "why not," as the Spaniards say. If we 
held to the same opinions formed in boyhood, there would 
be a small chance for improvement, and we would not be 
the progressive individuals we claim. As we get more 
experience, we change the crude opinions formerly enter- 
tained, for those we have discovered to be better and 
nearer the truth ; and as to the impertinence of telling a 
lady she is handsome, in a deferential, proper manner, I 
have yet to see the first one that was much offended with 
the impudence. The story I am going to relate partly 
illustrates this ; and not to waste any more time in cu^cum- 
locution, I will rehearse it. 

Seven or eight years ago I spent the latter part of the 
summer in St. Louis, stopping at the Abbey Park, then 

under the charge of the enterprising Charlie . There 

was a perfect round of trotting, pacing, and running, and 
the stables were fiUed with animals that were taking part in 
these Olympic struggles, and with those in preparation for 
the approaching great St. Louis Fair. The grand Lexing- 
ton, the handsome Revenue, the fleet Ruric, the powerful 
Doubloon, France, Waterloo, Princeton, Little Arthur, 
imp. Barnton, and a dozen other thoroughbred stallions 
were having the finishing poHsh put on their glossy coats, 
and when they were led into the ring, the welcoming 
shouts from twenty thousand people testified that their 
merits were appreciated. Much as Charlie had to do in 
superintending the affairs at the Abbey, his energetic man- 
agement carried things along so smoothly that there was 
still time to drive through the pleasant suburbs of the 
King City. In many of these excursions I accompanied 



282 HORSE POKTKAITURE. 

him, and on one of the pleasantest Sunday evenings I ever 
saw, the trotters were hitched to the wagon, and we took 
our places in it. The whole turn-out was in good taste, 
and when I add that Charlie was the handsomest man in 
the City of Mounds, it is evident we would be very hkely 
to attract our share of attention. 

I am not going to trouble you with a description of the 
beautiful country that environs St. Louis, further than to 
state that I know of no city that is its superior in beauty 
of siu'roundings, especially in the golden harvest time. 
We were jogging along the Gravois road, when I espied 
two females a short distance in advance, and as we over- 
took them I could not refrain from peering under their 
bonnets. One of them was transcendently beautiful. I 
nudged Charlie, whose attention was taken up driving the 
horses, whispering "Look, what a beautiful gii"l!" He 
turned his head, and on the first glimpse, he, with a 
powerful effort, almost set the horses on their haunches, 

and broke out with the exclamation, " I'll be blessed if 

she isn't handsome ! " There was a transient suffusion of 
the girl's clear cheek, and something of a toss of the pretty 
head, yet the sparkhng eye and half smile on the lip, 
showed that she overlooked the impertinence of the very 
handsome man, that had been betrayed into this enthusi- 
astic acknowledgment of her beauty. When we returned 
to the Abbey, I was still full of the adventure, and of 
course must recount it to the rest of the brothers of the 
spur and snaffle that were assembled in the bar-room. An 
old gentleman was one of the listeners, who, after patiently 
hearing all my encomiums on the fair unknown, said, 
"Pshaw! I'll bet she isn't half so good looking as my 
daughter Fanny." A wager of a dozen of wine was ac- 
cordingly booked, and then the j)uzzling question arose, 
how it was to be decided. The old man proposed sending 
to the stable of Captain M., who had named a favorite 



THE "WAGEK. 283 

mare after the Belle of , and was the fortunate owner 

of her picture. I told him the arbitrament would not be 
|ust, where a picture had to be taken into consideration, 
as I knew our umpire, Charlie, would acknowledge that 
there never was a picture as beautiful as the radiant 
blonde. Charhe assented, so the decision was indefinitely 
postponed. 

Several days after this the old gentleman came along in 
his buggy and invited me to accompany him to the resi- 
dence of his son-in-law, who owned one of the many fine 
mansions that are situated a mile or two from the Abbey. 
I went with him, as I had frequently done before, always 
being much pleased with his reminiscences of former days, 
which he recoimted so admirably that scenes long passed 
seemed a part of the present time. He hitched his horse 
to a post, telHng me he only intended to stay a few min- 
utes, but insisted on my going into the house. We went 
into the drawing-room, when he introduced me to a pla- 
cid, fine looking old lady, his wife. He withdrew, and soon 
re-appeared with a magnificient looking girl whom he in- 
troduced as his daughter Fanny. I was doubly sui-prised, 
thinking she was in New Orleans, and my natural bash- 
fulness was gTcatly augmented by the recollection of the 
wager with her father. After the ceremony of introduction, 
he remarked : " What do you think, Fanny, my young 
friend here had the audacity to bet with me that he saw 
on the Gravois road the other day a handsomer woman 
than you!" 

Of course I could only stammer out that when I made 
the ^vager I had full confidence that I would win it, that 

never having had the pleasure *of seeing Miss , I did 

not think there was a woman in the world superior to the 
one I had seen, and nothing btit ocular proof would have 
convinced me to the contrary ; but now I must concede 
that the bet had been a rash one, and there was no doubt 



284 HORSE PORTEAITURE. 

of my having lost it by a long way, in turf parlance, being 
outside of the distance. Still it was one of those ventures 
where the loss gives more pleasure than would attend the 
winning. She was very much embarrassed, and I was 
glad when the old gentleman signified his readiness to 
return. We had hardly got into the yard when he shouted 
to Charlie and Captain M. that I had acknowledged the 
loss of the wine bet ; and I had the pleasure of seeing my 
friends di-inking the sparkling champag-ne, as I cogitated 
on the two beautiful faces that had been the cause of the 
flow of the enlivening fluid. 

Pkeceptoe. — I am glad the old man trapped you into 
the loss, though I neither admire your making the bar- 
room of a track the place to expatiate on female beauty, 
or the want of delicacy in the old man in making the 
statement in the presence of his daughter. It was a pretty 
shrewd trick, however, as I doubt whether he would have 
ever got a decision in his favor in any other manner. 

Pupil. — I will engage that I never lay myself Hable 
again to be picked up. It was the second time in my life 
that I would have given boot for a hollow log to crawl in, 
and it would not have taken a very large orifice to accom- 
modate me if my body was as small as I felt. The cigars 
being still burning I will recount the other adventure. 
When I was a young man I had an intimate acquaintance 
in Dr. L. He was a very highly educated man, and 
though not a member of the F. F. V.'s he was still a notch 
or two up, belonging to a Philadelphia family of high 
social position. From a long series of troubles originat- 
ing in an unfortunate marriage, his finely organized brain 
had become crazed, though at this time his madness was 
in a very mild form. His friends sent him from Phila- 
delphia to that rough part of Pennsylvania, where I was 
engaged in land-surveying, and which had been a favorite 
resort of his in his healthy days. He boarded at the 



A EAR A AVIS. 285 

county seat, and occupied his time with wandering about 
the neighborhood hunting and fishing. He was very select 
in forming new acquaintances, hardly ever going beyond 
the circle of old friends. 

He dubbed me Compo, always insisting I was the 
nephew of an Indian chief with whom he had hunted in 
the then distant prairies of the far West. At times he 
was rational, and it was well worth while to listen to his 
vagaries when the hallucination was upon him, till the 
interval of sanity, as then his conversation would be of 
great interest, and he would vividly sketch scenes that 
had occurred in his eventful life. When the cloud was 
away, I never listened to a person who could more com- 
pletely absorb the attention of his hearers ; and incidents 
of foreign travel, and adventures by sea and land, would 
be portrayed so graphically that they seemed as if actually 
occurring. When he discoursed of the gi'eat men of the 
world — ^being personally acquainted with many of them — 
he showed an acuteness of jDcnetration in discerning traits 
of character, hidden to an ordinary observer, placing the 
characters he was describing generally in a more favorable 
hght ; and in talking of celebrated poets, he would dis- 
cover beauties hitherto overlooked, and he would demon- 
strate his opinions with quotations that showed his inti- 
mate knowledge of all their writings. I have listened 
with admiration to his conversation for hours, as he went 
over the field of pohte literatui'e, giving me ideas that 
greatly enhanced the pleasure of reading ; or he would 
entertain me with stories of other countries, elucidating 
life and habit better than I ever saw it done in books. He 
would vary this by showing me how to tie the fly that 
was best adapted for fishing in different waters, explain 
some intricate problem at chess, set up the rare birds and 
animals that we would kill in our hunting-trips, his knowl- 
edge of ornithology and taxidermy being second only to 

13 



286 HOKSE PORTRAITUKE. 

those who made these studies a profession. He was as 
delightful a companion as I ever had, and had it not been 
for the "disjointed thoughts" that often shocked you, by 
proving the wreck of the mind so richly stored, no more 
fascinating one coiild be found in any country. 

But I find it will take up too much of our time to give 
an account at present of the scrape he got me in. So I 
will postpone I'elating it till to-morrow's nooning, as I do 
not want to have the recollections of those days of romantic 
youth to interfere with my understanding the subject-mat- 
ter now before us, as I am convinced there is nothing of 
more importance in the training of horses, than fully 
mastering all the intricacies of sweating. 

Preceptok. — You do not overestimate the bearing it has 
on the welfare of the horse, and if there is any danger that 
the story you contemplated telling would interfere with 
your attention, I am glad you have postponed it to another 
time. I can easily foresee that making a companion of a 
lunatic might result in scrapes, as there is none of us any 
too sane when the equilibrium of the brain is disturbed, 
which is particularly apt to be the case in that susceptible 
period of life, from eighteen to twenty-five. In resuming 
the conversation on sweating, I may go over ground 
I have heretofore traveled. But though a "twice told 
tale " may be tedious, there is no royal road to the acquisi- 
tion of skill in any pursuit, and at the hazard of being 
tiresome I will further ilhistrate the effects of the treatment. 
I have spoken of the change the blood undergoes in its 
passage through the lungs, and the transmission of some 
of its constituents through the pores of the skin. There 
is another function the skin possesses, — that of assisting to 
decarbonize the blood. There is no other way by which 
the skin can be so completely purified as by free perspira- 
tion. The little scales or dandruff that form are very 
hard to remove by the currycomb or biTish, in fact they 



ADVANTAGES OF THE THOEO U GH B EED. 287 

cannot be thoroughly got rid of by their use, and after 
patient grooming the removal will only be partial. The 
constant grooming produces soreness of the extremely 
sensitive vessels or bulbs at the root of the hair, and we 
irritate the horse without obtaining a suitable recompense. 
Washing with soap and water is also ineffectual, and is 
inadmissible, as the horse's coat will soon show that injui'y 
has been done, if the ablutions are continued. The per- 
spiration lifts up the scales, and carries them to the surface 
of the hair, which is proven by sweating a horse and 
allowing him to dry, when he will appear as if powdered 
with flour. The sweating then makes the skin actually 
thinner and more supple, and of course the air will have 
a greater effect on the blood-vessels that lie immediately 
under the surface. 

Pupil. — I have become fearful of stating advantages 
which I believe thorough blood of all others gives to the 
trotter; but I hope you will pardon me for again calling 
your attention to it in connection with this question, the 
decarbonizing of the blood through the pores of the skin. 
You see a thoroughbred horse after rapid exertion, and 
there is apparent a perfect network of veins traceable — 
though in intricate confusion — over the whole of the body. 
There are not only many more in sight, but they are larger 
than those of the cold-blooded one. It would be proper 
to infer that if those you see are larger, it will also be the 
case with those that are hidden, and if we deduce from 
this data that the blood is more perfectly decarbonized, 
our reasoning will be correct. Now, if the blood has lost 
this detrimental equivalent through the pores of the cuti- 
cular covering, there is less labor for the lungs to perform 
in equal circumstances. 

Pkeceptob. — In your ardor for the thoroughbred, you 
lose sight of all I have said. No one of any sense will 
argue against the form and characteristics of the blood 



288 HOKSE POKTEATTURE. 

horse being the best for continued fast work, and 1 have 
to keep a higher check on you than I would, to prevent 
you running away — or, rather, blood horses running 
away with your sense, when you claim to make trotters 
of them. Their structure, muscular, vascular, nervous, 
and osseous, excel all others for speed. The only point 
at issue between us is the possession of the trotting step. 
We will not argue about it now, and I will admit that if 
a thoroughbred could trot as fast as a cold-blooded or 
pai't-bred one, I would rather pay double the money for 
him. 

The removal of the dandruff from the skin facilitates 
the action of the air in this purifying process, and, you 
say correctly, lessens greatly the labor of the lungs. There 
is much waste from the pores of the skin that is not seen, 
but which, nevertheless, is going on at all times. This is 
called insensible perspiration. The evacuations from the 
bowels and kidneys carry off the more gross residue, and 
stoppages in their action is always a cause of alarm. 
When the skin becomes so clogged that it does not per- 
form its share in relieving the internal economy, the injury, 
though not so speedily observed as from the other stop- 
pages, will ultimately be very serious. The good resulting 
from sweating is not confined to merely ridding the animal 
of fat, as it increases the power of the heart, and assists 
the lungs in performing their duty. 

Pupil. — I have read that, in the great race of five heats 
of four miles each which was won by Black Maria — the 
grant aunt of the Falcon — she lost a hundi-ed and twenty- 
five pounds in weight. I suppose it was as severe a race 
as ever was run, the fifth heat being only forty-one seconds 
slower than the first, and the black mare ran for evei'y 
heat, not having been laid up in any of them. 

Pbeceptoe. — It appears almost incredible that a horse 
could lose so much as that in so short a time, no matter 



EBDUCING HOESES BY SWEATING. 289 

how severe the work had been, but if so stated by Mr. 
Stevens, there is no doubt of its being the case. He was 
very methodical in all of his business, and his training 
stable was as perfect as money and skill could make it. 
There was a weighing-machine connected with it, and the 
reductions in the weight of the horses, as the training 
progressed, carefully noted. The results of each sweat and 
trial could thus readily be seen, and the presumption 
is, from the success that generally attended his stable, that 
his horses were usually in good condition. He had a room 
fitted up with hot-air pipes, and is, probably, the first 
who used the Roman bath in the training of horses. How 
it succeeded with him I have never learned, but I beheve, 
from engagements with the government in the construc- 
tion of a floating battery, and which absorbed his whole 
time, the training was discontinued soon after the erection 
of the bath. My intention was at first to show the differ- 
ence between sweating with hot air and clothing, when 
hot air might be used to advantage, &c., but, as I beheve, 
in the training of trotters, that the benefit derived would 
not equal the expense of construction and the care re- 
quisite for its successful use, we will confine our attention 
to the more simple mode. Scales that we could weigh the 
horses on would be of great service, and would materially 
assist us in coming to correct conclusions regarding the 
effects of the various sweats; and problems in work and 
feeding could also be demonstrated more effectually. 

Pupil. — In preparing the Falcon for a ten-mile race, I 
reduced him one hundi'ed and twenty-five pounds in three 
weeks, sweating him once a week, with a great deal more 
work between them than I would give now. In all the 
horses I have had to deal with, he is the only one that I 
could reduce so rapidly without injury. No difference 
how long the distance, how fast the pace, or how many 
clothes he was wrapped in, he never exhibited the least 



290 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

symtoms of distress, though I am satisfied I worked him 
too much, and sacrificed his speed without its being ne- 
cessary. 

Pkeceptor. — Very probably you did. Because a horse 
has that quality we denominate bottom or endurance, with 
game that does not show distress, if peradventure, he feels 
it, we are very apt to overwork him. The great difierence 
between training race horses now and in former days, 
exemplifies the truth of this statement. The trainer of 
Haney's Maria — a mare that beat almost everything she 
ran with — would gallop her, at times, ten or twelve miles. 
A person who would do so now would be thought crazier 
than your friend the doctor, and it was only by having a 
nonpareil that this fellow was enabled to win at aU. 
Horses now run the four miles in time that would have 
been looked at in her day as an impossibilty, and show as 
little fatigue as when the time was haK a minute slower. 
Better horses, better tracks, and better training have 
accomphshed this, and the last named has done its full 
share. 

We will now to the stable, where our first duty will be 
to prepare a mash for Never Mind I have no great faith 
in medicated mashes, and usually confine myself to bran, 
oats, salt, and a decoction of sassafras. The last has, I 
think, a beneficial effect in making the system less Hable 
to febrile excitement, which is the most to be dreaded and 
guarded against after sweating. When this is done, I 
will see you drive the colts. We will make May wear the 
large roll I spoke of, and see if her action changes any 
when going round the turn. The effect will be more no- 
ticeable when first applied than after she has become 
somewhat accustomed to it. 

I have said nothing yet about the difference between 
growing and matured horses, both as to the necessity 
and the effects of sweating. There is a vast difference ; so 



MASH PREVIOUS TO SWEATING. 291 

mucli so, that the treatment we give au aged horse would 
nearly destroy a colt. The first will bear a far gxeater 
reduction of his bulk than a colt would, when to the eye 
he would appear to be much in the same order; and a 
horse will be in proper condition to trot, when his ribs 
would sh.o\-7 to the eye, while the colt's should be covered 
with qaite a coating of flesh. The reason is, that young 
animals are not so fat inside as the older, and reducing 
them in size would be accompanied by the wasting of the 
muscles. Till colts can trot fast enough to fatigue them- 
selves, there will be no necessity for sweating them further 
than what is required for a complete purification of the 
skin. I allude to sweating under clothes. As the weather 
becomes warmer, they will sweat enough in their work to 
answer all their purposes. I think that reducing May 
much woiild further endanger her cutting her pasterns, 
and she will have to be kept as high as is compatible with 
clearness of wind. Now for the mash, which we will make 
with three quarts of bran, two of oats, a table-spoonful of 
salt, with boiling water enough (in which is placed the 
sassafras) to saturate the mass, covering it so there will 
be no escape of steam. It will become thoroughly cool 
before it is fed, which is the object in making it so long 
beforehand. Unless I want to steam the nasal passages, 
as in distemper, or for the relief of colds, or other med- 
icinal purposes, T prefer giving the mashes cold. 

Pdpil. — May's shoes have not yet been changed for the 
ones you recommended, and I have not speeded her since 
the morning you saw her go. 

Peeceptor. — I want to watch her closely before her 
present shoes are removed, and will only keep the roll on 
long enough to observe the changes it causes in her action. 
I feel very confident that increasing the weight in her 
hind shoes will have a beneficial effect, which experiment 
will either prove to be correct, or confute that presumption, 



292 HORSE PORTEAITURE. 

when we shall have to discover some other remedy. There 
is not so much chance to change the action of the hind 
legs as there is the legs in fi'ont, there being no posterior 
joint, where the motion is so free and as capable of being 
modulated, as the hnee. You can now harness her, jog 
five or six miles, and by that time I will be on the track 
to see her move. 

Pupil. — I have driven the specified distance slow. 'WTiat 
will be the next order of exercises ? 

Peeceptor. — Go the next round a three-and-a-half gait, 
and as you come down the stretch, let it be at her best 
speed. Pull her up at the stand, and take a medium rate 
till you come here again, when you can go round the tui'n 
as fast as you can drive without her breaking; then tui'n 
round at the quarter post and come back. 

Pupil. — There is some pleasure in di'iving her, apart 
irom that sidehng motion, which is provoking enough. 
In every other particular she will do just as you want her. 
Should anything have been different fi-om what you 
intended, I am to blame, as the mare went exactly as I 
directed her to go. 

Peeceptok. — AU was very proper. Throw the blanket 
and hood on her, and let the boy walk her up the stretch. 
I saw nothing in her movement to cause me to change the 
opinion I have heretofore expressed. I think she touched 
a little when she went round the turn. We wiU now put 
the roll on, when you can drive her up the stretch to the 
three-quarter pole, coming down at speed, which you will 
keep up half way round the tui-n. Stop there, and come 
back as fast as you can. 

That will do ; drive her to the bam, unharness. She 
is not wet enough to scrape ; so have the boys straighten 
her hair nicely, clothe her with blankets and hood, and 
walk her half an hour, when she can be rubbed and 
cleaned, the soles of her feet washed, stuffed witli moist 



NIGHT BEFOEE THE SWEAT. 293 

tow, and to-morrow afternoon we will liave her sliod, I 
am convinced the shoeing and use of this roll will work a 
CTU'e, as it certainly made a good deal of change in her 
gait, and that is favorable. As it protects the part where 
she strikes, she will soon learn not to be afraid of the 
blow. 

You can walk Never Mind the usual time this evening; 
give him two quarts of water and the mash, in lieu of his 
regular feed of grain. Give only what hay you can span 
in your hand, have his bed well prepared, and put the 
setting muzzle on as soon as he finishes liis lock of hay. 
In the morning, give him one quart of oats when the other 
horses are fed,— no water; and as soon as he finishes the 
grain, replace the muzzle. I will be here in good season, 
to give further directions. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

KEVER mind's FIRST SWEAT — PREPARATION, AND METHOD PUB- 
SUED — BREEDING TROTTERS — PEDIGREES. 

Preceptor. — The morning is all that we could ask. 
There could not be a better time for the business we have 
on hand. The air is warm without murkiness, and the 
breeze is only sufficient to keep it in motion. By the time 
the sun is a few degrees higher, the vital fluid will be as 
bland as that ladened with the fragrance of rose and 
jasamine wafted from the gardens of Ghul. It is a great 
annoyance to prepare a horse for a sweat, and have the 
time appointed uupropitious; though if the weather is not 
too bad I prefer to give it, than to postpone to another 
time. Should the weather be such that it would be im- 
politic to attempt the sweating, I should put it off for three 
or foui" days, commencing again the preparation from the 
outset. I do not like to muzzle a horse two nights in 
succession, though there are some very gross feeders that 
require the appliance of the muzzle at all times, to keep 
them from eating the bedding. Even in such a case I 
would rather substitute some other material for bedding 
than straw, though there is nothing else so well adapted 
for the purpose. Sawdust soon heats from the mixture 
of urine, and is then very detrimental to the horse's feet; 
and there is danger to the lungs from the i)articles of dust 
that arise whenever the horse moves. In the summer 
time, I prefer sand to any other substitute. By filling the 
stall to a depth of six or eight inches, the horse has a very 



PEEPARATIONS FOE THE SWEAT. 295 

comfortable bed to lie on, and wlien standing, it gives a 
uniform support to the sole and frog. It never becomes 
heated, and whatever portion of it adheres to the skin is 
easily removed by the wisp or brush. There is nothing 
so good for making a "wallowing bed;" and when we see 
how much pleasure a horse takes in tumbling about in 
it, we must conclude that it is not an uncomfortable 
couch for him to repose on. By the way, we will soon 
have to make a jolace for the horses to roll, as I hold it is 
of great service at all times, and we are repaid for the trou- 
ble, if only for the satisfaction of seeing them enjoy a good 
wallow. Have the boy throw a kersey and hood on Never 
Mind, and walk him in hand for an hour. In the mean- 
time, you can drive Falcon; jog him five miles, and drive 
one moderately fast, allowing him to go a three-minute 
gait on the stretches. 

Pupil. — I have complied with your instructions, but 
was disappointed in not seeing you on the ti'ack to tell 
me how weU I did it. 

Pkeceptoe. — I wanted to watch Never Mind while he 
was walking, to see that he emptied himself as he ought, 
and to note the appearance of the evacuations, before any 
change of color took place from exposui'e to the air. The 
excrements are just right, — a bright yellow color, without 
any hard exterior coating, and of the right consistency. 
The mash has performed its functions so far admirably. 
While the appearance of the foeces is as I desire to see 
them at present, it would not do for them to be of this 
character if the horse was expected to go in a race. But 
we must now prepare him further, and have no time at 
present for the consideration of anything diverse fi-om the 
business in hand. Have him brought into the stable, 
hghtly wisped over his whole body, and the hair smoothed, 
when we will clothe him. There, that will do. Now take 
hold of this long, soft blanket, bring the corners together. 



296 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

SO that it will be the full leugth and half the width, throw 
it ovei- his back* and bring the end under his belly; be 
very careful to have it straight and free from wrinkles. It 
now laps a little more than a foot; but I perceive there 
has been a matter neglected that is of moment. There 
are no strings, and we will have to fasten it with skewers, 
which I dishke very much. There ought to have been 
four strings sewed on to the side of the blanket, a little be- 
low where it covers the backbone, and the same number 
on the end that we brought between the fore and hind 
legs. Then it can be fastened securely, without ninning 
any risk of wounding the skin, as there always is from the 
skewers. 

We will now take this lighter and smaller blanket, and 
after doubhng it in the same way, fold it as many times 
around the neck, enveloping it with several thicknesses 
from the shoulders to the ears. The next blanket will be 
similar to the first, only we do not double it, but cover the 
horse all over, tying it round the breast and under the 
tail, fastening it every few inches as low as the gaskin. A 
hood will be the next thing, having no ear pieces, and 
^arge enough to coVer the shoulders, being tied behind the 
»ore legs. A heavy kersey suit of clothes carefully adjust- 
ed, with the breast-plate loose enough not to interfere 
with the free motion of the legs; the hood with earpieces 
and a flank girth buckled in its appropriate place, and the 
costume is complete, leaving no part uncovered, except- 
ing the legs from the knees and hocks down, and the eye^ 
and muzzle. The harness has to be enlarged to meet the 
necessities of the clothing, and rolls are put on above aU 
the fetlocks to prevent bruising of the joints. The horse 
is now ready to go into the shafts, but before we go to the 
track we wiU prepare a drink for him, by taking a hand- 
ful of hnseed, or two of oatmeal, and making a thin gruel, 
which we temper with boiling water, so that it will be a 



SWEATING NEVER MIND. 297 

liUle above blood heat. You can now walk him once 
round, and jog him slowly twice, when you can stop him. 

That is very good. Wait till he gets a mouthful or two 
of the drink. The perspiration is starting, and this hot 
gruel will facilitate the flow. The next two rounds drive 
a Uttle faster, when you can bring him to the barn. We 
are in great luck. The hair is now fully charged with 
moisture, and you will soon see as " free a delivery " as 
you could wish for. Tui'n him around in the stable, so 
that his head will be at the heel post; close the door and 
bring plenty of blankets, and we will throw three or four 
extra ones on him, retaining every particle of heat. See 
how he begins to labor in breathing, and put youi- finger 
on the artery on the inner side of the jaw bone; the pulse 
is rapid, and the artery so full that it slips, on the least 
pressure, from under the finger. Give him another swal- 
low of the gi'uel. The perspu-ation is beginning to start 
down the legs. Look at that big drop; it runs an inch or 
two; stops; takes a diagonal course; here is another one 
following it, and now thi-ee or four httle rivulets are run- 
ning down the arms, and joining in one stream below the 
knee. Very large globules have oozed through the blanket 
we first wrapped him in, and the weight of it is so much 
increased that it bags down as far as the fastenings will 
permit. Do not be alarmed at this profuse flow; I want 
it to run a few minutes longer; you can see that the 
hoi^se does not labor in breathing as much as he did, — and 
clap your finger once more on the artery. It has an elastic 
feel in place of the rigid, tense cord, that eluded you at 
first, while the beatings are not so rapid. 

Get the scrapers and ru.bbers ready. Take a scraper 
yourself, give Tom another, and let Con and Cooley be 
prepared with the largest and softest salt sack rubbers. 
Unbuckle the hood straps and the fastenings of the breast- 
plate. Throw the hoods back on the loia, and turn back 



298 HORSE POETRAITUKE. 

the clothes so as to expose the chest. Throw that necJi 
wrapper on one side. Use your scrapers carefully, only 
bearing on enough to force the water from the hair. You, 
boys, rub him lightly between and around the ears. Your 
cloths will absorb more moisture if you do not bear on. 
Now unbuckle the flank girth; throw the clothes over his 
chest and neck, lay the belly wrapper on one side; it is 
heavier now than all the clothes were when first put on. 
Scrai)e his sides, back, and quarters. How the froth bub- 
bles ! We will have different looking and feeling sweat from 
this in a month or two. Be very careful not to irritate him 
when you scrape the inside of the thigh and flanks; throw 
the clothes back : his neck will now scrape again. Go all 
over him once more, but before you begin throw ofl* these 
extra blankets. Now you can throw them all off. Tom, 
you can also take a rubber, and rub his loin briskly. 

You, my scholar, get some dry clothes, a pair of those 
large, fine English blankets, and a hood of the same mate- 
rial. Smooth his hair by running the rubbing-cloths the 
right way of it, and do not ruffle it as you jjut the dry 
clothes on. This time tie the blankets outside of the tail, 
put your lightest cover over the blanket, and. Con, you 
can walk him in the ring till you are called in. The rest 
of you take the outside clothes, and hang them in the air 
to dry. The neck and belly wrapper place in a tub of 
water to soak. Get some dry, clean rubbers, the foot tub, 
hot water, and bring me a small-sized pail, so that I can 
prepare his drink for the day, which will be eight quarts 
of tepid water, with a table- spoonful of the best cream of 
tartar in it. He must not be allowed to di'ink any more 
than this till to-morrow morning — given by pouring two 
quarts of it at a time into another bucket, so that he will 
not be tantalized by seeing more than we want him to 
drink, which will also satisfy his thirst better. The object 
in restricting him in the water is that the absorbents will 



AFTER THE SWEAT. 299 

then take "hold of the fat, which they would not do if we 
gave him an unlimited supply of fluid. The tartaric acid 
not only assists to allay the thirst, but its refi'igerating 
properties are beneficial in guarding against feverish 
symptoms. 

He has now walked a quarter of an hour, so you can 
call Con to bring him in. He is drying capitally. Take 
a handful of hay, dip it in the acidulated water, and let 
him pick it out of your hand, while the boys rub out these 
damp places. Now throw a linen sheet on him in place 
of the blanket, put the cover over that, and walk him 
slowly for twenty minutes. I never saw a horse do better 
than he has. Look at his eye, it is as bright as those of an 
eastern Odalisque, and does not need the apphcation of 
henna to heighten its radiance. Now wash the soles and 
crust of his feet with cold water, place him in the foot 
tubs, and after applying castile soap, thoroughly wash 
with warm water his legs from the Imees and hocks down. 
When that is done, dip a set of bandages in hot water, and 
swathe his legs from the knee to the coronet. Fix up his 
bedding, give him two quarts of the drink, as directed, 
two quarts of the prepared oats and hominy, and two or 
three pounds of hay, which it will be well enough to 
dampen. When this is eaten, put on the muzzle, and leave 
him undistm'bed till the next feed. You have now seen 
the manner in which I give the first sweat to a horse that 
is robust — lusty, as the English say. If there is a point 
that is not clear, I am ready to answer any questions. 

Pupiii. — I think I can see fi'om your former conversa- 
tions the object of each part of the proceedings. When 
the horse was laboring so hard, however, as the extra 
blankets were pat on, I should have been uneasy if you 
had not been present, and, if left to myself, would have 
been trying some plan to relieve him, especially when I 
discovered the pulse so high, and the artery so tense. 



800 HORSE POETRAITURE. 

Preceptor. — The reasons for throwing on the additional 
clothing were, that those he wore during the exercise 
did not sufficiently retain the heat, and the rapid loss of 
the watery and oily portions of the blood would be fol- 
lowed by the absorbing vessels acting sooner on the fat, 
than they would otherwise have done if the clothing had 
not been augmented. By keeping iip the flow by their 
use, we approximated to the benefits derived fi'om the 
heated air bath, and reduced him more than we possibly 
could have done with prolonged exercise, which would 
have endangered his legs. I can only guess at the pounds 
avoirdupois he has lost ; but when you consider the in- 
creased weight of the inner wi-appings, and the amount of 
water that flowed fi'om the scraper, it must amount to a 
considerable depreciation of his former weight. The 
manner of giving sweats wdll vary as the preparation 
proceeds, and the different horses will also require a change 
of treatment. There will be very Httle change in the case 
of Never Mind in the plan pursued to day, until we get 
rid of a good portion of the inside fat he is encumbered 
with. 

You can now hai'ness Jane, and, while jogging her, fol- 
low the previous instructions not to pull at her. If she 
wants to go faster than you desii'e, bring her to a full stop, 
and mind that you do it with a resolute hand, emulating 
the manner your friend Charhe stopped his team, when 
thunderstruck with the beautiful female on the Grravois 
road. The effect of a sudden pull of that description is 
tenfold greater than when the mouth has become numb 
from lugging at the bit, and the mare will not only suc- 
cumb at the time, but the lesson will be a good one to 
regTilate her future conduct by. 

Pupil. — Jane appears to be well contented with the pace 
you have fixed for her to go, and jogs as quietly as could 
be asked. I am all anxiety to see her go fast, for if she is 



UKEEDING OF TKOTTEES. 30^ 

as amenable then in proportion as she is now, we will 
certainly have one trotter in the string. 

Pkeceptor. — Unless you have your heart set on a won- 
derful rate of speed, I think you will be gratified by the 
possession of more than one trotter. There may be as 
much profit and pleasui'e in a horse that can safely trot in 
thirty, as one that goes eight or ten seconds less. With 
the very fast horse there are only occasional opportunities 
of trotting him in races, while others can be trotted as 
often as we desire. From the greater number of second- 
rate horses, there is no trouble in making up fields, and 
the best races — running and trotting — are generalUy those 
which this class figui-e in. No further business appearing 
for the morning consideration, we will take up our line of 
march for the house. 

We will resume a subject that has been dropped for 
bome time, — the Breeding of Trotters. Without being as 
enthusiastic as you, in all that pertains to their conception 
and rearing, I am, nevertheless, greatly interested in it. 
In former talks I have trod on your corns by underrating 
" the advantage of racing-blood in trotters," till I am sorry 
to see that you have become very sensitive whenever the 
subject is broached. I must confess that I have carried 
my objections further then I intended. My predilections 
being strongly in favor of blood, I was induced to follow 
this course, the better to arrive at a candid consideration 
of the drawbacks, as well as the advantages, of breeding 
road horses from the source purified in the alembic of the 
race course. Throwing aside, as far as lies in our power, 
all predisposition for or against the thoroughbreds, we may 
derive benefit fi'om further deliberation; though I had 
forgotten, when proposing this, that you had promised the 
denouement of your adventure with the crazy Doctor, and 
will be gratified to Hsten to it. Our time after dinner will 
only give us space enough to consume a cigar, as I want 



302 HORSE POETRAITURE. 

to be at tbe stable wben feeding-time arrives; so propel, 
as tbe negro minstrels say. 

Pupil. — If you leave tbe cboice to me, I sball select 
breeding as tbe more interesting topic, now tbat your 
tbougbts are running tbat way; tbe " yam " will keep cold 
well enougb. As to my enthusiasm, a person of ardent 
temperament cannot avoid being entbusiastic wben en- 
gaged in raising colts from favorite stock. Tbe anxiety 
to see wbetber bis expectations bave been realized, causes 
bim to watcb tbe advent of tbe colt witb as mucb concern 
as tbe gambler looks for tbe appearance of tbe card on 
wbicb bis last dollar bas been staked. Witb wbat soli- 
citude be superintends its awkward attempts to draw 
nourishment from a source it is yet unacquainted with, 
till he is finally gratified witb bearing the lacteal fluiil 
gTirgling down its throat, and is more than pleased wit^ii 
tbe satisfaction it mutely expresses witb the sugary draughi!. 
How interestedly he watches it staggering along, leaning 
against its mother, not knowing yet how to use those limbs 
tbat soon will be so pliant ! How much comfort is expressed 
in tbe pantomime, wben it stretches itself on the green 
sward, bathed in the warm rays of sunshine, tbat m 
invigorating its frame so powerfully that only a few dayw 
will elapse before it v/ill be gamboling, with all the grace 
that it is possible for an animal to show. There is positive 
affection, akin to tbe feeling for the dearest of the human 
family, for a colt, as it Hcks the sugar from your hand, and 
whinnies at your approach, gladly recognizing you as its 
"next best friend." 

Pkeceptoe. — I have no doubt that breeding horses is a 
very fascinating pursuit, and that the ownership acquired 
in that way induces warmer feelings than those that result 
from purchase. The breeding I am going to speak of is 
retrospective, and the teachings of the past ought to be a 
guide for the future, in this as well as other pursuits. 



THE MESSENGER BLOOD. 303 

Witli few exceptions, the trotters of the present day belong 
to three famiHes or strains, the superior of which is the 
Messenger. Messenger not only stands at the head of the 
lis', as the remote ancestor of trotters, but it is very hard 
to find a celebrity, accredited to the other famihes, that 
has not some of his blood. Among the very fast ones in 
lineal descent from him through their sires, are Geo. 
Wilkes, Dexter, Lady Thorne and Gen. Butler — the two 
first mentioned having a greater proportion of the blood, 
through the inbreeding of their sire, a great grandson o" 
the patriarch. Lady Thorne, through her dam, has also 
a cross of the blood, viz : Gano-Eclipse-Miller's-Damsel- 
Messenger. The Bashaws would come next, as they are 
represented by Lady Emma, Geo. M. Patchen, Jr., and 
Lucy. The Pilot family have Pilot Temple, Dixie, Tacky, 
and other good ones. John Morgan, the best of this line, 
had the Messenger cross through the sire of his dam, 
Medoc. The once celebrated Morgan has scions, that are 
superior to any that were on the turf in their palmy days, 
in the mare by Ethan Allen out of the pacer Pocahontas, 
and RoUa Gold Dust. The Messenger crops out through 
the fleet pacer, in the same way as Lady Thorne and John 
Morgan, she being a great grand-daughter of Eclipse ; 
RoUa Gold Dust has, I believe, the same cross. From the 
prevalence of Messenger blood in the section where the 
Bashaws originated — from the imported Barb — there has 
been a great intermingling of the streams. The stallion 
Andrew Jackson, a grand-son of the Barb, has been the 
occasion of their eminence. He was the sire of Henry 
Clay, Long Island Black Hawk, Kemble Jackson, &c. His 
dam was by "Wliy Not, by Messenger, and his grandam 
also by Messenger. 

Again : Jupiter, a son of Long Island Black Hawk, and 
the sire of Lady Emma, had two crosses, his dam Gipsey 
being by Almack, a grandson, and her dam by Mambrino 



304 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

a son of Messenger's. The best illustration, however, of 
the breeding of trotters, in the section long celebrated for 
having the best, is the pedigree of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, 
universally conceded to be the most successful progenitor 
of fast trotters, for the truth of which the record is convinc- 
ing proof : 



03 V 



, Messenger 
Marabriiio I < Sourkrout 

1 dam -] ^ Whirligig 

Amazonia ^ 

Miss Slamerkin 



/ Sourkrout 

a ] (^ 

( dam •< 

( M 
■jd! 



( imp Bellfonnder [ Messenger 

Ohas. Kent mareK (. 

I One Eye \ Hambletonian ( dam by Messenger 

( dam by Messenger 



This pedigree shows more inbreeding than that of Lady 
Suffolk or Ariel, which you instanced as proving that the 
danger of incestuous crosses might not be as imminent 
as was generally beheved, and this horse wiU gi'eatly 
strengthen your arg-ument. His grandam, though only 
a grand-daughter of Messenger, had five parts in eight of 
his blood, which would give the Bellfounder mare five in 
sixteen, and Eysdyk's Hambletonian, therefore, obtained 
from her five in thirty-two, and from his sire, Abdallah, 
four in thirty-two, thus giving him more of the blood than 
his sire, though he was a grandson of Messenger. 

The dam of Andrew Jackson was bred the same as 
Hambletonian, being three-quarters Messenger, so that if 
the Bellfounder mare had been bred to him, the colt would 
have more Messenger blood than Rysdyk's Hambletonian, 
though he would have been called a Bashaw. To carry 
the illustration fiu'ther : Suppose One Eye had been bred 
to Andrew Jackson, the progeny would have been half 
Messenger, and one-eighth Bashaw, thus : 



PEDIGREES. 306 



«si 











— \ 




o 








<»>► 




n 








oa:3 




wS 








N^ O" 




^» 








X:3 




<ii 








•y^^ 













050 






/■ 
















1 


p 






4-B 




wg 










^w 












^'l 


5- 

s 










^—3 


1 p 


g 






5 


LOg 


i 


•^ 




O 




To call this colt a Bashaw, because his sire was in lineal 
descent from the Barb, would be absurd, and from the fact 
that Andrew Jackson had one-eighth more Messenger 
than Bashaw blood, his progeny should be accredited to 
the dominant strain, especially when we see it further 
refi'eshed by another current, as in the case of Jupiter. 
I am under the impression that there have been more 



306 HORSE FOKTEAITURE. 

first-class trotters of the MesseBger blood than all others 
put together. I could further exemplify it by numerous 
examples, but will only cite one more instance, as tending 
to show the good effects of this blood. 

Napoleon, the grandsire of G-en. Butler, descended by 
both sire and dam fi-om Messenger, and was a great-grand- 
son on either side. You are given to theorizing, so you 
can weave from this skein of facts a web that will prove 
the breeding of trotters, as easily as you can demonstrate 
that the hyj^othenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal to 
the sum of the sqiiares of the other two sides. 

Pupil. — I am very glad that breeding cannot be reduced 
to a geometrical scale, as in that case the charm of uncer- 
tainty would be broken. The most we can do is to gain 
all the wisdom we can fi-om the experiences of the past, 
and by a course of experiments, add to that knowledge as 
much as oui' limited capacity will permit. I am very glad 
that you have forsaken the French admixture in your 
composition of a trotter, and hope that the knee action of 
the thoroughbred can be improved, by judicious crossing 
of the different families found to have the requisite action, 
till you will be satisfied that in this point, as in all others, 
they cannot be excelled. I have been wonderfully j)leased 
with your remarks on the Messenger family, though I was 
not prepared to learn that inbreeding had been so general. 
The Falcon has three distinct crosses of the blood, through 
his sire Camden, Shark, Echpse, Miller's Damsel, Mes- 
senger. His dam was by Postboy, whose dam was 
Garland, Young Damsel, Miller's Damsel, Messenger. His 
great-grandam was by Bay Bolton, by TipjDO Saib, Mes- 
senger. Young Damsel was by Hambletonian, which one 
\ do not know. If the three-quarter bred Messenger of 
that name, it would increase the proportion. 

These three crosses in the Falcon shoidd assuredly be 
as valuable, fi'om the balance being of the kind that Fanny 



CLAY AND PATCHED 307 

Kemble said " alone did it quite well," as if there were a 
mixture of French or Bellfounder blood to taint it. 

Eysdyk's HambletoDian has been the most successful in 
nicking with the blood of American Star, as his two fastest 
sons testify. AU that I ever heard of the pedigrees of 
American Star was, that he was by Henry, though I have 
seen several of his colts, and they all show a great deal 
of blood in theii* appearance, so much so, that I think he 
must have been thoroughbred, or these colts from very 
well-bred mares. Clipper is a great-gTandson of Messenger, 
his dam being by Whip, Comet, and her dam by Messenger. 
Pilot, Jr.'s, dam was a great-grand-daughter of Sir Archy. 
I have yet to see the first instance of a horse being a successful 
getter of trotters that was not strongly imbued icith racing blood. 
If diluted till the proportion of cold blood is greater 
than the pure, the animal will be a failure, and I would 
under no consideration breed from even a scion of the 
Messenger stock, that was impregnated with much mongrel 
blood. Had the inbreeding of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, 
been on the Bellfounder in place of the Messenger, I have 
no doubt that he would have been as pre-eminently worth- 
less as he now is good. Cassius M. Clay takes a front 
rank as a breeder, and if his renown only rested on the 
. paternity of Geo. M. Patchen, it would be glory enough, 
as he was, without doubt, the very foremost trotter of them 
all. His numerous contests with Flora Temple were 
remarkable, while his private time was such as no horse 
ever exhibited, and gave a color of truth to the report 
that he could have trotted much faster in public, if that 
had suited the " book " of his managei*. Cassius M. Clay 
was by Henry Clay, and out of the dam of John Anderson. 
I have seen an advertisement in the Old Spirit, that John 
Anderson's dam was imported Vestris, by Charles the XII. 
Never having heard before of this highly bred imported 
mare being claimed as an ancestress for Clay or Patchen, 



308 HOKSE POETEAITUEE. 

I only offer it for what it is worth ; if true, the stock 
would be greatly enhanced in my estimation. Patchen 
had also a Trustee cross which, without doubt helped him, 
the get of Trustee having proved themselves trotters able 
to go both fast and far. 

The jpedigree of Andrew Jackson shows another Mes- 
senger cross which you have overlooked. The dam of 
Young Bashaw was by Bond's First Consul, his grandam 
by Messenger, his great-grandam by Rockingham. This 
would add one-sixteenth more Messenger blood to Andrew 
Jackson, making seven-sixteenths ia all. No wonder, when 
he was so near thoroughbred as his pedigree shows, that 
William T. Porter wrote, in the Turf Register of 1840, that 
"with the exception of Andrew Jackson, for whom $5,000 
has been refused, Abdallah is the finest limbed and most 
blood-like trottiag stallion we ever saw." The sire of 
Young Bashaw's dam, Bond's First Consul, was a capital 
race horse, winning twenty-one races and upwards of 
$10,000 in purses alone, never suffering defeat till he was 
eight years old. This great progenitor of trotters (Andrew 
Jackson), having nearly all racing blood in his veins, helps 
to establish the truth of my theory, that the thoroughbred 
is the only one to depend on for continuing the species. 
I will continue Mr. Porter's remarks about Abdallah : 
"He was got by the celebrated Mambrino (the son of 
imported Messenger) out of Mr. Treadwell's equally as 
celebrated road mare, Amazonia, who for ten years, or 
more, had no superior on the road. Abdallah is a beauti- 
ful bay without white, fifteen hands three inches high. 
He was shghtly trained at fours years old, and was consid- 
ered the fastest horse on Long Island. No purses being 
offered at that time for trotting, Mr. T. put him in the 
breeding stud," &c. &c. I have read that the Amazonia 
was a well-bred mare, and that she was a daughter or 
grand-daughter of Messenger, but cannot recall where I 



BLOOD OF MAMBKINO. 809 

saw it. So we will have to be contented to rest on her 
qualities as a roadster. The breeding of his sire is unques- 
tionable, though I have heard many claim that he was 
only half-bred. I quote from the Turf Register of 1840, 
"Pedigree of Mambrino:" 

"The following certificate given by his breeder, Col Lewis 
Morris, leaves no doubt of the purity of his blood : — 

' I certify that the bay colt bred by me, three years old 
the 16th of last month, was got by old Messenger, his dam 
by Sourkrout, gTandam by Whirligig, gi*eat-gi'andam Miss 
Slamerkin, by Wildair, out of the imported Cub mare. 

' Given under my hand at Morrisania. 

'June 19th, 1810. Lewis Mokkis.'" 

Mambrino, then, was thoroughbred, and to those who 
would argue that Abdallah was indebted to the road mare 
for his trotting qualities, I would say that Mambrino 
proved his capacity to entail this qualification through 
other, branches of the family, as the many descendants 
gracing the track at this day abundantly prove. 

From this desultory talk you may imagine that the web 
I am trying to weave is much " tattered and torn " before 
it leaves the loom. But the trouble is that, amidst the 
abundance of material for warp and woof, the time is 
limited to construct even a short piece, and I am throwing 
the shuttle almost at random, leaving threads of different 
color in an incongruous mass that would form a very 
handsome pattern if care and time were taken to get each 
one in the right mesh of the hiddles. 

The deductions drawn fi'om the consideration of the 
pedigrees and performances of these animals and their 
descendants would naturally be, that in the Messenger 
strain there is a manifest tendency to a fast trotting gait, 
that it is so powerful in this particular that it overbalances 
contaminating streams, and that those animals having the 
most racing blood mixed with the Messenger have been 

14 



310 HOESE PORTRAITURE. 

tlie most successful breeders ; and I hope to show that if 
the same care had been taken in keeping- the pedigrees of 
trotters pure that there has been with race horses, the 
proportion of fast ones would have been materially in- 
creased, with much more symmetry of form, and greater 
powers of endurance. I also expect to show that racing 
and trotting are not antagonistical qualities, but that the 
same animal which is so conspicuous as the progenitor of 
trotters, has been equally famed for transmitting racing 
qualities to his descendants. For the truth of this state- 
ment we wiU again bring on to the witness-stand the 
noted mare Ariel. She ran fifty-seven races, winning 
forty-two of them — seventeen at four-mile heats — traveling 
at least three thousand miles in her peregrinations from 
one race course to another, nearly every mile on foot. 
She raced from the banks of the Hudson river, on the 
classic courses of the Old Domuiion, to the flowering 
plains of Georgia, and inhaled the genial air wafted from 
orange groves by the breeze that dimpled the gulf at 
Charleston, S. C, beating the fleetest short stock their 
J'avorite distances, and outlasting the gamest of the game 
in the tr^nng ordeal of four heats of four miles each, 
irunning a third heat in 7 :57, Trumpator beating her only 
a few feet when she won the fourth in 8 :04. This was on 
the Newmarket (Virginia) Course, where the best time for 
a first heat was Henry's — 7 :54 — proving those of Ariel the 
very best on record. In imitation of yoiu^ example, I will 
give her pedigree to the fifth generation to show the man- 
ner of her inbreeding to Messenger : — 



PEDIGREE OP ARIEL 



311 



'Daroc 



■ Eclipse - 



w Miller's Damsel 



f Diomede 
L Amanda 
f Messenger 
l^dam 



Florizel 



*riel i 



\ 

I da 



I dam by Spectator 
Grey Diomede 

dam by Bedford 
JIambrino 



dam, . 



Financier 



Empress. 



{Tippo Saib 
dam 

r Baronet 



dam by Turf. 
Pot 8 OS 

dam by Gimcrack 
Messenger 



( M 
|di 



am by Northumberland 
Messenger 



I dam by Bashaw 
, Vertumnus 



dam. 



( dam by Snap 
( Messenger 

( dam by Snap 

The Basliaw in this pedigree was a brother to Miss 
Slamerkin, the great-grandam of Mambrino. It will be need- 
less to look for further illustrations of the racing qualities 
of Messenger's stock — many of them as good as ever 
answered the bugle's call to saddle and start. Ariel had 
five-sixteenths of the blood, a thirty-second part more 
than Rysdyk's Hambletonian. Those two inbred animals 
being respectively on the topmost round of fame, are apt 
illustrations of the value of the blood for both gaits. The 
bell is sounding its welcome invitation to dinner ; after we 
enjoy that, with your permission, I will resume, and further 
show the plan I believe the best for breeding trotters. 



CHAPTEE XXII. 

DKLIGHTS OF TOBACCO — FOUNDATION OP THE AMERICAN TKOTTER 
ON THE BLOOD HOKSE. 

Pkeceptok. — We will walk leisurely to the stable while 
Bmoking, so that the cigars will be finished by the time 
we get there. Yoiu- caution in not permitting any one to 
smoke in the stable is proper, and whoever would take 
offence at being requested to observe this rule would have 
very little sense. The dried and powdered excrements of 
horses is a material almost as tenacious in holding fire, 
and as quick to ignite, as tinder. A stumj) of a cigar is 
thrown aside; it falls through a crack in the floor which 
has been the receptacle of the sweepings, where it gives no 
warning till it breaks out fierce and overpowering. Such 
a disaster as that which occured at the Eiverside Park 
ought to admonish all when approaching stables, never to 
smoke even in their vicinity. 

As soon as the horses have eaten their feed, we will send 
May to the blacksmith, to whom I have given the ne- 
cessary instructions for shoeing, so that we need not ac- 
compauy her. Never IMind can be brushed, the bandages 
removed, his legs hand-riibbed lightly for a quarter of an 
hour, his bed put to rights, &c. The advantage a loose 
box possesses over a stall would be of service in this case, 
as I would much prefer that he should not be disturbed, 
excepting to take a short wallc of a mile or so when the 
others go out. But as Jane has to be walked two hours 



IKJUET BY LYIISTG ON THE SHOE. 313 

and Mavourneen driven, we cannot avoid brealiing in on 
his privacy. The practice of going into a stable at all 
hours of the day and night cannot be too severely rep- 
robated. Horses engaged in fast work should be encour- 
aged to lie down as much as possible, saving both their 
temper and legs — their temper by not being irritated by 
needless disturbance, and their legs by not having to 
sustain the weight of the body when tired or the muscles 
relaxed, following the tension of hard work. The loose 
box not only permits of more privacy, but a horse will lie 
down, when not restrained with a halter, that otherwise 
would stand. 

It would appear, when a horse is lying on a good bed 
of straw, that for the time being he is safe. There are 
horses, however, that have a trick of injuring themselves 
in this situation, by resting the elbow on the shoe, which 
often results in serious injury, making an enlargement that 
is extremely difficult to get rid of, and if allowed to run 
for a length of time, requiring a surgical operation to cure. 
So inveterate is the habit in some horses that it cannot be 
cured in any way, save by enveloping the foot with rags, 
or having a soft cushion to draw over the hoof. I have 
seen men use a circle of metal six or eight inches in 
diameter, which they placed around the pastern ; this 
only effected the transfer of the injiuy to another part. 
A metal projection is useful when a horse has the habit 
of standing with one foot on the other, and I have known 
horses to do this until the coronet has been injured so 
much as to cause a morbid growth of horn, to the great 
detriment of the foot. The cushioning shoiild be put on 
at the very outset, as, after the swelling occasioned by the 
pressui'e has got to a suppiu'ating stage, the cushion will 
irritate it, and prevent the heaUng. It is a very annoying 
habit, and the cure is so much more difficult than preven- 



314 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

tion, that I always watch very closely to see if any of the 
horses are likely to aequu-e it. 

Pupil. — Accident discovered to me a manner of prevent- 
ing this self-inflicted injury, after I had puzzled my brain 
in every way to find a remedy. I had a large five-year- 
old stallion that persisted in lying on the shoe, in spite of 
all my eflbrts to prevent him. He was tied in a stall, so I 
removed him to a loose box, plentifully littered with 
straw, though no benefit accrued from his occupying it. 
Every movement he heard, he would dart to the window, 
and paw the dii-t floor into deep holes. We were forced 
to tie him up during the day, which did not stop his paw- 
ing, so that he had a depression in front of him of at least 
a foot deeper than were he stood. One day I saw him ly- 
ing down with his feet in the hole, and I was struck at 
once with the favorable position. His halter was tied 
so that he could not get back on the comparatively 
level surface sufficiently far to bend his legs under him, 
and he was forced to remain with his feet in the hole. I 
immediately dug out his old stall in the same manner, 
tied him so that he could not go back further than I 
desired, and had the gratification to find the removal 
of the swelling — which was as large as the clenched fist — 
take place. In a short time, he was well. I kept the stall 
as it was for some time after he was completely cui'ed, and 
when once more placed on a level surface, he had con- 
tracted the habit of lying in a position that did not injure 
the elbow, and I never had any trouble with him from that 
cause afterwards. 

Pregeptoe. — Fortune has often been the means of dis- 
coveries that had eluded the peneti-ation of those who 
were renowned for foresight, and the most wonderful 
efforts of genius have fallen short of the benefits derived 
from some stroke of good luck. The swinging of a 
chandelier in a cathedral, the fall of an apple, the laziness 



E]S"JOTMENTS OF SMOKIN-G. 315 

of a boy wliose duty it was to monotonously pull a valve 
for tlie admission of steam, are illustrations. The meas- 
ureiaent of time, the laws of gravitation, and the useful- 
ness of that power which has done so much for the wel- 
fare and civilization of mankind are due to this, and to the 
observation that saw their efl'ects, and made them avail- 
able for practical uses. You deserve commendation for 
seeing the benefit that fortune had put in your way, and 
though it is laughable to compare this discovery with the 
grand results above mentioned, still, httle things are of 
importance, and I am much obliged to you for teaching 
me a way to ciu'e a habit that has often given me much 
uneasiness. I cannot see why it would not result as favor- 
ably in other cases as in the one you mention, and I can- 
not perceive any bad results that would be likely to arise. 
The horse when standing would be on the level, and it 
would only prevent him from getting his head in an easy 
position for repose. I should certainly prefer this evil to 
a capped and ulcerated elbow, which would effectually 
hinder him from going fast. Favor me with another cigar, 
and we will take our seat under that spreading, thick- 
leaved oak, when you can continue your disquisitions on 
breeding. There is danger of these cigars tempting me 
into an immoderate use of them, and although at the time 
I considered your description of the enjoyments of smok- 
ing in the woods as a raphsody, it seems now none too 
highly colored, and I can realize the feeHngs you por- 
trayed. 

PuFiL. — I might, like the Irishman recommending the 
mounbain dew, urge that there is not a headache in a hogs- 
head of such tobacco. I can assuredly warrant that there 
is not a deleterious article in the manufacture. When 

P says cigars are imported, you can safely wager 

they are from the isle that can alone grow the benign 
weed in full perfection. If you thought I rhaj)Sodized in 



316 ■ HOESE POETRAITURE. 

describing the forest smoke, what will you think of the 
following lines by the "Gentle Eha: " 

" Scent to matcli thy rich perfume 
Chemic art did ne'er presume ; 
Through her quaint alembic strain, 
None so sovereign to the brain ; 
Nature, that did in thee excel. 
Framed again no second smell ; 
Roses, violets, but toys 
For the smaller sort of boys, 
Of of gTeener damsels meant ; — 
Thou art the only manly scent." 

Preceptor. — It strikes me you have broken off rather 
abruptly in your quotation. Do not the subsequent lines 
read something like this : 

" Stinking'st of the stinking kind. 
Filth of the mouth, and fog of the mind ; 
Africa, that brags her foison. 
Breeds no such prodigious poison ; 
Henbane, nightshade, both together. 
Hemlock, aconite." 

Pupil. — Certainly, though he gives his reasons for rail- 
ing; and how fondly he returns to his first love: 

" And a seat, too, 'mongst the joys 
Of the blessed tobacco boys ; 
Where, though I, by sour physician. 
Am debarred the full fruition 
Of thy favors, I may catch 
Some collateral sweets, and snatch 
Sidelong odors, that give life 
Like glances from a neighbor's wife ; 
And still live in the by-places 
And the surburbs of thy graces. 
And in thy borders take delight, 
An unconquered Canaauite." 



CHAELES LAMB. 317 

Where would he have found words to express his devo- 
tion, if he had been favored with KiUikinick, in place of 
the harsh old "cut and dried/' or had a hundred or two 
of these Principes to awaken reveries. Even then he 
could not have surpassed his "Dream Children," one of 
the most exquisite creations of the fancy I am acquainted 
with. I can hardly bring my thoughts back from wander- 
ing after shadowy forms, that melt away like a vision, to 
the consideration of pedigrees and trotters. Yet Lamb, 
lame and weakly as he was, appreciated the delights a 
gallant steed could give. Listen to the description of 
their uncle to the Dream Children : — " Then, in a some- 
what more heightened tone, I told how, though their 
great-grandmother Field loved all her grandchildi^n, 
yet, in an especial manner, she might be said to love their 

uncle Jno. L , because he was so handsome and 

spirited a youth, and a king to the rest of us, and, instead 
of moping in solitary corners like some of us, he would 
mount the most mettlesome steed he could get, when but 
an imp no bigger than themselves, and make it carry him 
over half the count} in a morning, and join the hunters 
when they were out; and yet he loved the old great house 
and gardens, too, but had too much spirit always to be 
pent up within their boundaries; and how their uncle 
grew up to man's estate as brave as he was handsome, to 
the admiration of everybody, but of their great-grand- 
mother Field especially; and how he used to carry me on 
his back when I was a lame-footed boy — for he was a good 
deal older than me — many a mile, when I could not walk 
for pain." 

I did not find this in the Turf Hegister which I have 
brought along, but I could repeat the whole of that essay, 
as I have read it over and over, and always found some- 
thing new to admire in it. I can see John L bound- 
ing over hill and dale on the spirited hunter, thereby 
14* 



318 HORSE POKTRAITURE. 

gaining strength, to carry tlie j)oor lame-footed boy when 
weary. A true, unselfish loYe for the horse is always ac- 
companied by strong feelings for those bound to us by the 
ties of kindred, more especially when they are unable, from 
bodily weakness, to join in that which gives so much de- 
light. As a prelude to the topic under consideration, I 
will read from the Turf Register of 1829 a pedigree of 
Messenger, and also refer to it for proof that the American 
trotter had his foundation on the blood horse : — 

" Messenger was got by Mambrino, his dam by Tm'f, gran- 
dam by Eegulus, out of a sister to Fig-uraute, by Starling, 
out of Snap's dam. He covered in the Middle States, and 
his colts are the handsomest and finest horses for all uses 
of any stallion ever imported into this country; but, owing 
to the prohibiting of racing in Pennsylvania by an act 
of the Legislature, his stock has not such a chance of 
distinguishing themselves on the turf. For the saddle, 
draught, etc., they are unequaled." 

According to Mr. Van Eanst — his part owner — ^he was 
foaled in 1780 — commencing his career on the turf in 1783 
where he was quite successful. His first seasons were 
made in Pennsylvania, and j^erhaps it was as well that a 
bigoted House of Representatives should have clogged the 
enterprise of breeding good horses, as thereby his stock 
had the opportunity of signalizing themselves on the road 
in place of the turf. On his removal to New York, the re- 
striction was partly done away with, and he there had the 
benefit of a few blood mares to perpetuate the qualities 
that otherwise would have been lost. For proof of this, look 
at the number of successful sires that have sprung fi-om 
his location in New York, while I have no knowledge of 
any of his get in Pennsylvania that are distinguished in 
that respect. His offspring there were at the top of the 
tree, as far as performances went, but they had not blood 
enough to give their descendants the same qualifications. 



messenger's location fortunate. 319 

Mambrino, Potomac, Eclipse, Lance, Hambletonian, Tippo 
Saib, Tippo Sultan, Postboy, etc., all give him such a 
luster, that he could afford to loan to other families a sur- 
plus, as you have exemphfied in the case of the Bashaws, 
and still be o.ccredited as the greatest progenitor of 
trotters. 

Before dinner I could not remember the pedigree of 
young Damsel, the grandam of Postboy. I distincly re- 
call it to mind now, and wonder that I could have been so 
forgetful. She was by Hambletonian, the son of Messen- 
ger, and had, therefore, the same amoim^t of Messenger 
blood as One Eye, the grandam of Rysdyk's Hambleton- 
ian. Messenger's location in the section, that was to be 
the recognized headquarters of trotting sport, was fortunate 
for the establishment of a sport, which has made the 
American roadster superior to those of all other countries; 
and also fortunate in developing his stock as the best for 
that j)urpose. Suppose his location had been in Virginia, 
Carolina, Tennessee, or Kentucky. The success of his 
colts on the turf would have been beyond the wonderful 
performances the record now gives his descendants. He 
would have got fifty thoroughbred mares where he had one 
in Pennsylvania, and the owners of those colts would have 
felt .insulted at a request to make trotters of them, and 
the very men who have assisted in developing the fast 
trotting gait of hundreds of Messengers, would have 
laughed at the idea of making trotters of Messenger's 
colts. Hence, I say, it has been fortunate, alike for horse 
and trotting sport, that his location was in New York. 
His blood was disseminated over the whole eastern coun- 
try, from Maine to Lake Erie; and not only his, but many 
high-bred scions of other famiHes, went from the Long 
Island turf to enrich those places with a valuable stock of 
road horses. 

When I have been arguing with men on the necessity 



320 HOESE POETEAITURE. 

of blood in trotters, I have been met with, what they con- 
sidered convincing proof, that until late years there never 
was a thoroughbred horse in the New England States. 
They would ridicule the idea that there ever were any 
"running races" in Boston, unless of the scrub kind, and, 
when proven, would only admit a fact they coidd not 
longer dispute, but qualify it with the assertion that the 
horses that ran in them were carried there, and on the 
conclusion of the races taken back. Tell them that 
Admiral Coffin imported Barefoot to Boston, or that men 
purchased blood horses for stud purposes, taking them to 
their homes on the banks of the Kennebec, or among the 
green hills that bordered Lake Champlain on the east, 
and they would be moved to laughter so boisterous that 
they would almost be in the state of Dr. Holmes' patient, 
who frightened him from afterwards writing anything " as 
funny as he could. " Mr. Van Ilanst sold Defiance, by 
Florizel, to go to Northern N. Y. ; Cock of the Kock, by 
Duroc, out of Romj), by Messenger, to General Barnum, 
nf Vermont; Dinwiddle, by Diomede, dam by Wildair, to 
n company at Utica, N. Y. ; Selah, by Bussorah Arabian, 
.lam by Messenger, to Saratoga County, N. Y.; Callender, 
•)y Echpse, his dam by Sir Ai'chy, to Washington County, 
N. Y.; Liberty, by Dinwiddle, dam Miller's Maid, by 
Dui-oc, grandam Miller's Damsel, by Messenger, to Bran- 
don, Vermont. At that day, 1825, the blood horse was 
recognized to be the one to breed from, though twenty-five 
years later they were carried away by false lights after the 
splattering little Morgans, and part-bred Canucks, which, 
by an infusion of racing blood, were redeemed fi-om utter 
worthlessness; yet if you show me a region where a trot- 
ter, worthy of the name, has been bred, I will undertake 
to prove that, at no distant day, the blood horse was there 
and prepared the way. There are exceptions, as in every- 
thing else, though I am acquainted with but one of any 



TKOTTERS OF THE OLDEN TIME. 821 

weight — St. Lawrence. I will read from the same volume 
of the Turf Register an account of the horses at the Hunt- 
ing Park Course, at Philadelphia, where many a hard con- 
test for fame was made by the trotters of the olden time, 
and a correspondent of the English (porting Magazine sent 
this account of the notabilities of that day, appended to 
reports of the trotting thereon : — 

"Top Gallant, by Hambletonian, trotted in harness 
twelve miles in thirty-eight minutes, and three miles, 
saddle, in eight minutes thirty-one seconds. He is now 
nineteen years old, and can trot his mile with one hundred 
and fii^y pounds in 2 :45. 

"Betsey Baker, by Mambrino, beat Top Gallant, saddle, 
one hundred and fifty pounds, in 8:16, and when sound, 
could do her twenty miles within the hour. 

"Trouble, by Hambletonian — good bottom — did two 
miles in harnes in 5 :25. 

"Sceewdeiver; dam Bull, by Mound HoUy, beat Betsey 
Balcer the last heat by a neck. Time, first heat, 8 :02 ; 
second, 8:10. 

" Sir Petek, by Hambletonian, in 1828, three miles in 
harness in 8:16. 

"Whalebone, by Hambletonian, three miles in harness 
in 8:18. These two. Sir Peter and Whalebone, can be 
matched either against Rattler or Tom Thumb, now in 
England, for any amount. Rattler is from an English im- 
ported horse out of a Canadian mare, and Tom Thumb is 
a Naragansett, an excellent breed of trotters, but their or- 
igin is unknown. 

" Shazspeaee, by Hambletonian, three miles, saddle, in 
8:16." 

A pretty good "show" of trotters for A. D., 1829. 
Three miles in 8 :02, I think, is equivalent to 7 :35 now-a- 
days. One more quotation from the Turf Register of 1833 
''Paul Pry. — This fine trotter, whose performance of 



322 HOESE POETRAITURE. 

eighteen miles under fifty-nine minutes we recorded last 
week, is an exceedingly well-bred horse. He was got by 
Mount Holly, out of a Hambletonian, bred by Gen. Coles, 
His grandsire was old Massenger. Paul Pry is now nine 
years old, bred on Long Island, and previous to his gi-eat 
trotting was only in training five weeks. Those who bet 
against each quarter, from sixteen and a quarter miles, 
placed judges, at each of them to see in which he would 
tire out, but the fi-esh condition in which the horse complet- 
ed a quarter of a mile more than was needed, saved these 
gentlemen the trouble of their office. Hiram Woodi-uff, 
the boy who rode him, deserved much praise. His seat 
was beautiful, and his judgment excellent. He was dressed 
in a new suit in the true jockey style, and the whole affair 
gave great satisfaction, and proved Pavil Pry to be a horse 
of first-rate bottom. We heartily congratulate his owner 
on the possession of so fine an animal." 

Illustrations showing that the older trotters were gener- 
ally of good blood, could be multiplied till the consideration 
would be tiresome. Those of the present day show the 
same characteristics, or a preponderance of Messenger 
blood from inbreeding overcoming that of the inferior 
animals in their generalogy. With a few instances of our 
time I will close. The horse, AbdaUah, which the gueriUas 
captured of Mr. Alexander, was the sire of the famous 
mare belonging to Mr, Goldsmith. He was by Eysdyk's 
Hambletonian, his dam by Bay Roman, by Membrino, by 
Mambrino, his grandam by Membrino. The sire of Squire 
Bingham — Major Windfield — is by Eysdyk's Hambleton- 
ian, dam by imported Margrave, grandam by Trumpator. 
Open a paper that contains the advertisements of the 
trotting stallions for this year, and the most successful in 
propagating fast animals will be those having the best 
blood. Probably the largest sum ever paid for a trotting 
yearling was the amount it took to purchase the Hambleton- 



MESSENGER AND SIR ARCHT. 323 

ian, bred by Mr. Bacliman — understood to be five thou- 
sand dollars — his dam by Waldeck's Messenger, by Wildair, 
out of a Messenger Mare, and liis grandam by Mambrino. 
Considering these cases — that are taken from the records 
without exercising much care in the selection, but copied 
as I came to them — your ground that there have been more 
trotters of the Messenger strain than all others put to- 
gether is incontrovertible. 

Messenger stood for nearly twenty years in the neigh- 
borhood of New York, and from his popularity and low 
price of service — eight dollars to insure — had all the busi- 
ness he could do. PeojDle were so well satisfied with the 
value of his blood, that they sought so obtain as much of 
it as they could, even resorting to incestuous crosses to 
further this end. The fine road horses of the first gen- 
eration were succeeded by the fast trotters of the second 
and third, and the numerous progeny in that section were 
the best they had for the tui'f, road, and track. The only 
parallel case in breeding with which I am acquainted is that 
of Sir Archy. The great age to which he lived — the same 
as Messenger, 28 years — and the value of his stock, brought 
him so much patronage that in all probability there never 
was a living horse with so numerous a family. Close 
inbreeding produced no ill efi'ects that I could ever discover. 
Some of the fastest of their day were double Archy s. George 
Martin, by a son, his dam a daughter, conquered those 
hitherto deemed in%'incible, and placed himself among the 
very first for speed and bottom. Fashion's dam, the re- 
nowned Bonnets o' Blue, was bred in the same way. To 
enumerate Sir Archy's victorious descendants, and write 
their names, would appear like the index of the American 
Stud Book, as there has hardly been a good, or a very 
good, race horse on the American turf not related to him, 
generally in direct descent. It is not improbable that, if 
Sir Archy had occupied Messenger's place, he would have 



324 HOESE POKTKAITURE. 

been the Highflyer of the trotting turf, as he now is of the 
running. Premising that Rysdyk's Hambletouian is now 
the most successful modern sire of trotters, and that his 
fastest sons have been the result of crossing with well-bred 
mares, as instanced by the Stars and others showing good 
breeding, I would select the very best bred mares I could 
find with Messenger, Trustee, and Sir Archy blood, to 
breed to him. But as the present price of his services is 
beyond the reach of those who breed to make money, I 
would breed to the son or grandson that had the most 
blood and the best form. 

Now I will probably startle you, and others will look 
still wilder at what they will consider the gross heresies of 
my belief. They must grant me the merit of sincerity, as 
I have no ulterior object in view, and am led to promulgate, 
what I consider the best system of breediug, from no 
interested motives whatever. Forty or fifty years ago, in 
England, to have averred that the thorougbred would make 
the best hunter to carry weight would have subjected the 
proposer to as much sarcasm as awaits the advocate of 
the blood horse for fast trotting, among a certain set at the 
present day. While it is admitted that the theory has 
been proved correct, regarding the horse to go across the 
country, the set that I speak of can see no analogy be- 
tween that and fast trotting. Essays were written at that 
time to prove that the configuration of the blood horse 
was totally opposed to leaping; that the low, daisy- cutting 
stride would break the rider's neck on rough ground, 
while the intervention of ditches, hedges, and high timber 
fences would as effectually stop him, as if anchored with 
the best bower of a seventy-four. The arguments were 
reiterated, while the horse himseK was improving by 
further admixtui-es of blood, till the very best hunters in 
the kingdom had as fine pedigrees as the Derby or St. 
Leger winners ; and in the face of this, there were still 



A farmer's stud of trotters. 325 

those who could not believe anything different from what 
their grandfathers beHeved, and would not acknowledge 
defeat. The improvement in the stamina and pace of the 
hounds necessitated the change, as it would have been 
impossible for the best hunters of "fifty years since" to 
have kept in sight of a pacTx of the modern flyers for 
twenty minutes. 

With the teachings of the past before us, would not 
Messenger be as likely to get fast trotters as his renowned 
inbred great-grandson ? Would not Mambrino ? Who would 
not be better pleased if the Chas. Kent mare had been by 
Trustee, instead of Bellfounder ? Has Hambletonian gained 
from that blood any advantages that are superior to the 
thoroughbred crosses, of which he has so many ? I think 
no well-informed horseman will claim that he has. Who 
would not prefer Ariel for a brood mare to breed trotters 
from, to one with the same amount of Messenger, but 
French, Bellfounder and Morgan in the place of the pureo: 
streams ? The wealthy gentleman in Orange County, whose 
stud of trotters is probably superior to any other in extent, 
who has spared no expense in everything connected with 
it to make it the best in the world, who has been so lavish 
in his expenditures that his farm is a model in everything 
appertaining to breeding, merits the sincere well-wishes of 
all who are interested in the development of the American 
roadster. From an account I read lately, he has twenty- 
six brood mares, a majority of them being by American 
Star, the others, Long Island ; Black Hawk, Bellfounder, 
General Gifford, Vermont Hambletonian, Canadian, Harry 
Clay, and one by Old Abdallah, with a colt by Hamble- 
tonian. The author of this account saw an inbred Bell- 
founder mare, displaying the historical characteristics of 
that breed, which he appears not to value very highl3\ 
All these mares had been bred to Rysdyk's Hambletonian, 
making a bill of thirteen thousand dollars for the horse's 



326 HOESE PORTRAITUEE. 

services alone. I anxiously trust he will be remunerated 
for the enterpi'ise, but it strikes me that it must have been 
hard to find that number of mares, which from breeding 
and form, could all be advantageously bred to the same 
horse. Had he selected those of the finest blood to breed 
to Hambletonian, and put the others to a thorougbred that 
had form, size and a good trotting step, I think the pro- 
geny would have been better. Planet is said to show 
nearly a three-minute gait when allowed to trot in his 
exercise. A colt from imported Bonnie Scotland, three 
years old — and I presume the only one of his get that has 
been trained to that gait — trotted verj' fast last season. 
He was in a colt stake at Chicago, but was taken with the 
distemper, and had to be laid by. The stake was won by 
a thi'ee-y ear-old, the get of the Falcon, distancing in three 
minutes her only competitor. She is sixteen hands and 
an inch high, and had only been harnessed a few times 
before the trot. Another of the Falcon's get, a four-year- 
old, won the stake for that age, distancing a granddaughter 
of Rysdyk's Hambletonian the third heat in 2 :47 ; the 
track very heavy. I saw the four-year-old trot in thirty- 
six early in the season, and had he been in hands that 
knew how to train him judiciously, I think he would have 
been at the head of the hst as a four-year-old trotter. 

Now for my heterodox notions. I would prefer to breed 
from Planet or Bonnie Scotland, having thoroughbred 
mares of proper form, size, and step, with as much Mes- 
senger and Trustee blood as I could get, than from even 
the famed Hambletonian. I do not want to take away 
one iota of the well-merited fame of Mr. Rysdyk's horse, 
and had I a breeding establishment where I could send a 
mare or two of pure blood to him, and was rich enough 
to afford the outlay, I should certainly do so in order to 
get the Messenger blood, of which he has as much as any 
living horse, and probably more. I should hope that the 



THEOET OF BREEDING. 327 

produce would be a filly to breed to the thoroughbred that 
would suit me, as I think when there is a difference, the 
male parent ought to be the one without the flaw. But I 
would be afraid of that coarse Bellfounder cross, trusting 
however, that it would never make its appearance. I think 
when the produce of that inbred Bellfounder mare and 
Hambletonian is old enough to show for itself, these ideas 
will be verified. It may be thought invidious to say any- 
thing against the system pTu:sued in Orange County, which 
has resulted in producing so many good animals, but "ex- 
celsior" must be the breeder's motto, and to get still higher, 
depend upon it, racing blood will only do. You are un- 
doubtedly enough bored, for the present, with my breed- 
ing speculations. With the breeding-farm and the sub- 
sequent conversations, I have pretty well exhibited my 
partialities. Should any one differ with me in my con- 
clusions, the study of trotting pedigrees — some of them 
mixed tip consumedly — will do them no injury. If racing 
had been carried on without any more attention to liorse 
heraldry than trotting has, the breeding of race horses 
would have been ten times the lottery it now is. May we 
not hope that from a like attention being paid to the 
trotting families, the chances of breeding fast ones will 
be very much increased, and a genealogical tree, free from 
stains, be considered as essential to the harness as the 
racing stallion ? 

Preceptor. — I will neither assent nor dissent at present 
from the inferences you have drawn. The trotter, of 
course, has to be bred before he can be trained, and there 
is not much danger that our talk on the subject will be a 
waste o time. It is a subject of interest to those who 
buy, as well as those who breed trotters. The day has 
gone by when the remark was thought smart, "I do not 

care a for his pedigTce; let me see him move," and 

those consequential gentlemen who could tell at a glance 



328 HOKSE POKTRAITURE. 

just what a horse could do, do not find so many dupes 
as formerly. Your driving will now fully occupy the 
time you have to spare. Loan me the book while you 
are engaged, as I believe I have no particular instruc- 
tions to give regarding the management of those to be 
worked. I may go away before you are through. You 
have the directions what to do with Never Mind. The rest 
need no change. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

JBAXOUSY OF TRAINERS — AFTER THE SWEAT — RULES TO BE OB- 
SERVED — DIRECTIONS HOW TO PROCEED WITH THE HORSES. 

PBECEPTorw. — You look a little wearied this morning. I 
hope the pedigrees did not keep you from sleeping; I 
thought you got pretty well rid of them, and had left none 
to be a burden to you. 

Pupil. — Nevertheless they did worry me. When I went 
to bed thinking of the conversation we held, it appeared 
as though better illustrations came to my mind than any 
I had offered; and when I fell asleep, the subject that 
engrossed my waking hours got a still firmer hold of my 
mind, now untrammeled by the corporeal frame. Pedigrees 
of men and horses were mixed up in tangled confusion, and 
centaurs performed around me in mazy elvolutions, bewil- 
dering me with their strange actions, and still stranger 
speeches. One heavy-made, lumbering, Dutch-looking 
horse, with a keen human head, every line of which be- 
tokened cunning, reproached me for leaving him out, and, 
pointing triumphantly to an advertisement in the old 
Spirit, screeched in my ear, "You called us splattering 
Morgans : look at that and you will find that we are the 
true descendants of the children of fire, purer far than 
those graceful, sleeh-coaied, fragile-looking things, you have 
held up for admiration. They cannot make half the dis- 
play I can;" and he frisked around with short dancing 
steps, the curly mane flying, and the fat shaking on his 
sides. The words he pointed to in the paper shone hke 



330 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

letters illumiBated with jets of gas: "North Star, Morgan's 
dam, was got by Young Diomed, grandsire Old Diomed, great- 
grand sire Sir Archy, (a Ihoroughhred horse.)" "What do 
you think of that, you cavilling sucker ? and look at my 
Arabian head, my curhng tail and mane, my body, mod- 
eled in the most perfect form to fly over the sands of the 
desert — don't they show blood — and I weigh eleven hun- 
dred, though six inches lower than some of your dunghill 
Messengers." 

I gazed at this illustrious grandson of Old Diomed, till 
in the place of one there where hundreds with the same 
features, contrasting so strangely with the sway back and 
rolhng gait. They grew indistinct and shadowy, until 
they were partially lost in the hazy atmosphere, which 
soon became lurid as though there were great prairie fires 
on every side, and I found myself pinned down in the 
midst, fastened with lariats, and bound up in cuyote and 
buffalo robes. I struggled for breath, but could not move. 
Four stalwart Indians encircled me, with scrapers in their 
hands heated to a glowing heat, and they forced me to 
drink a bucketful of molten lava, that was flowing from a 
cleft in the burning mountain. To heighten my anguish. 
I heard your voice ordering them to throw some more 
robes on, and be ready with their rubbers and scrapers. 
Four more brawny, red skinned, ferocious-looking fiends 
drew near. They had long scalp locks for rubbing-cloths 
that were yet red and reeking with blood, as though newly 
torn from their victims, the gore staining the long silken 
haii^ of different colors. I recognized the golden bands of 

Jane P , the raven tresses of Susan, and Miss 's 

luxuriant locks. I cannot describe the suffering; it seemed 
more intense than my nerves could bear, and I felt them 
snapping and torn asunder, giving the same sensation, only 
tenfold greater than is felt when the bungling dentist rolls 
a tooth over with the turnkeys. You gave the order to 



A "GREEN HORSE." 331 

scrape me and rub out my poll. The hissing of the per- 
spiration, as it flowed from the red-hot scrapers, and the 
scorching- of the skin, was actually pleasant, when compared 
with the first touch of the gory scalp-locks. Human 
nature could not bear it, and with a shriek of anguish I 
awoke. I lay tossing about the remainder of the night, 
neither being able or having the inclination to sleep 
further. 

Peeceptor. — No wonder you look haggard; want of sleep 
and such a dream are enough to make the complexion 
wan and the eye dim. 

In all my remembrance I cannot recall a finer season 
than this has been for the training of horses. The weather 
has more to do with the conditioning process than many, 
particularly those who are not engaged in the business, 
are aware of. A man has a horse he is using on the road, 
and finding that he possesses a good deal of speed, is 
struck with the idea that he must have him trained, so he 
loses no time in making his way to the track, goes to the 
trainer he has selected to superintend the education, and 
signifies his wishes. The trainer is, of course, anxious to 
get another stiident, the price of whose tuition will assist 
to pay the heavy bills that are presented at the end of 
every month, and is unwittingly led to increase the owner's 
sang-uine expectations, by extolling the good form and 
promising gait of the pupil. 

The country dealer who brought him to town had given 
his full history, his ancestry, near and remote, the little 
or no work he had to bring out his trotting gait. "He 
was raised by Farmer such a one, and never had a single 
harness on unless to plow corn, till so many days ago, 
when he was purchased out of the wagon that brought a 
load of grain to the market tpwn." The dealer will add 
that he was induced to purchase him from knowing his 
stock, which was first-rate, and which he is Hkely to repre- 



332 HOESE PORTRAITUKE. 

sent as tliat most in vogue. The horse is then harnessed, 
and though a httle awkward, shows speed that the buyer 
is sure is unknown to the seller, and the bargain is closed 
by paying a round sum, which the dealer knows enough 
to ask, sjoeed or no speed. Both are pleased, one having 
made a hundred or two above exj^enses, and the other, 
satisfied that he has an embryotic trotter that in due time 
will be as fast as the best. He has been told that the horse 
has had no driving, and he will have to handle him very 
carefully for a while, till he gets used to the shafts. So 
he jogs him in out-of-the-way places where he will not be 
likely to have his attention distracted, though he cannot 
resist the temptation to let him go along a little, whenever 
a smooth road is gone over. As he and the horse become 
acquainted, he is gratified with an increase of speed that 
fully corroborates the dealer's history. The same story is 
rej)eated to the trainer, who cannot but agree that the 
gait of the horse is very fast for one that never had any 
handling. Should he signify his doubts of that being the 
case, the matter is set at rest by the conclusive ai-gument 
that he could not trot in three and a half when first pur- 
chased, and now he can go close to three minutes. The 
facts are that the horse had been driven for two seasons 
in the country, perhaps not very judiciously, but stUl so 
as to develoi^e a good deal of speed. Being sore from the 
journey when first tried, and not being accustomed to the 
vehicle, it took a few days for him to get at himself, which 
resulted in the over-estimation in which he was held. The 
seller was aware that he would get more for him fi'om this 
duplicity, than if he took time himself to bring the horse 
round and show the speed he honestly possessed, as that 
would be more than would agree vnth. the truth of his 
narrative, without being fast enough to enhance his 
value, when considered as a partially trained horse. The 
trainer takes him under this false estimate, and he is 



JEALOUSY OF TRAIN^EES, 333 

mortified that lie does not improve as the owner and he 
expected. After weeks or months are spent, and, per- 
haps, just as there is a chance for him to improve, the 
owner becomes disgusted, and takes the horse away, blam- 
ing the trainer for not knowing "how to get the speed out 
of him." 

Bad weather has not had much to do with this disap 
j5ointment, but there are cases where the trainer is blamed 
for what he could not control any more than in this in- 
stance. A horse has trotted the previous season fast, has 
been well wintered, and is put into the hands of the trainer 
in the spring in as fine order to commence work as could 
be wished. Rain, making muddy tracks, and cold, raw 
weather, makes it impossible that the horse should have 
the necessary work. After a lapse of time, which the 
owner thinks sufficient, a trial is insisted upon, which is, 
of course, unsatisfactory. The horse is hurried into 
another with the same result, and the trainer's incapacity 
seems to be apparent, and the horse is removed into other 
hands. There have probably been machinations to effect 
this which are unknown to the credulous ovnier. I am 
sorry to say anything against members of the craft, but 
there is jealousy of each other that j)rompts them to go to 
lengths that are contemptibly mean. If a horse is not do- 
ing well in the hands of a trainer, his rival's stool pigeons 
will commence work by telling things that will reach the 
owner's ears, and such as will sui'ely have the intended 
effect, if the man is not thoroughly conversant with these 
nefarious practices. Should the rival manage to have the 
horse transferred to him, his aim is accomiDlished. Some- 
thing is gained if he can only say, "Mr. Blank took his 
horse from Jones and gave him to me." If the horse does 
well, there is no end to his boasting of what he has done, 
which the owner can only repay by giving him aU his win- 
nings in addition to his regular training expenses. If he 

15 



334 HORSE PORTEAITUBE. 

does not do well, the fault is eBtirely in the horse, or some- 
thing might have been done with him if Jones had not 
" burned him up " while he had him. An owner should 
ponder well before putting his horse into any person's 
hands, and when he does, justice demands that he should 
give the trainer every opportunity of managing as he de- 
sires, and allow him time enough, in all contingencies, to 
get the horse in order. 

You can hitch Never Mind to the sulky and jog him 
three miles slowly. I once practiced giving a horse sharp 
work the day after the sweat, in accordance with the con- 
dition he was in. My plan now is to let a day intervene, 
as I think it is better to wait till the debility that follows 
is removed. Never Mind steps off hght and corky, an in- 
fallible sign that we did not overdo the sweating. 

Pupil. — He was anxious to go, and I am confident he 
feels better than he has before. There is an elasticity in 
his movement that reminds me of a young Highlander, 
who always walk, with a sort of bound, as though the 
ground had a spring that propelled him on as he 
touched it. 

Preceptok. — In driving the Falcon, you can jog him four 
miles, when the rate can be increased to a three-and-a- 
half gait for two and a quarter more. Go the i^everse way 
of the track at first, and when you finish at the quarter 
pole, let hina come back a httle faster. 

You did that as well as possible, not varying five seconds 
from the time, and each portion of the distance was gone 
at the same rate. Jane you can jog longer than we would 
otherwise, to try and wear the wire edge off, so that she 
will go a trifle faster than she has been accustomed to, 
without wanting to break away. Drive her slowly a few 
rounds at the gait she has been going, which you can 
increase to the same rate you drive the Falcon. Should 
she rush off, do not attempt to hold her back with a steady 



OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD WHOA. 835 

hard puU, but bring her to a full stop as before ; jog her 
a while longer, and try her again. Should she still prove 
untractable pui'sue the same course, and bring her to the 
barn. At the next trial, we will put the Kemble Jackson 
check on, and if that does not succeed, she will have to be 
driven at the same time as the Falcon, when, by putting 
her behind his sulky, she will be compelled to keep at the 
rate we want her to go. I do not think it will be necessary 
to resort to this plan, as, from the kind way she has lately 
gone in her exercise, I think she will still continue to favor 
us with good behavior. Be very careful not to pull at her ; 
the least possible pull on the reins the better, as long as 
they are kept taut. I find your horses are aU obedient to 
the word whoa, when spoken energetically. Should the 
mare act like wanting to go faster, talk soothingly to her ; 
as " gently, my lady ;" " careful, my girl ;" but when the 
whoa comes, be sure that it is followed by instant sub- 
mission to the mandate. 

Pupil. — One of the first lessons I give when breaking 
colts is to stop at the word whoa, and I never use it after- 
wards except when they are wanted to come to a full stop. 
To signify to them that they are going fast enough, I say, 
"steady;" to slacken their gait, "slower my boy, slower," 
and I find that a difference in intonation is soon learned, 
and I can talk to them, and they will obey as if almost 
human in their understanding. To teach a horse, that has 
not been taught the importance of the word that signifies 
stop, I use the small rope that I have spoken of in the 
allonging process. The loop is put round the lower jaw, 
and the cord carried over the neck near the withers, run- 
ning from there through the loop. This gives a double 
power, sufficient to place the animal in such a position 
that he cannot possibly move ahead. You lead him along, 
and when the word is given, you accompany it by an in- 
stant pall on the rope ; he cannot move till you slacken 



336 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

it, and the stopping and word are ever after associated 
with being compelled to stop. The value of this lesson 
must not be subsequently spoiled by using "whoa" to 
signify several different actions, but for immediate stop- 
ping alone. 

So highly do I value the importance of this lesson, and 
the habit of compliance, that I am very careful not to use 
the word when there is a hkehhood of its not being attended 
to, and if one of my horses were to become suddenly fright- 
ened, I would rather let him run a little till I thought he 
could understand what I said. I can illustrate this by re- 
counting a circumstance that happened before I left home. 
I had traded to a friend a large and very promising five-year- 
old horse, that had only been broken that season. He had 
been driven on the track, with an occasional trip to the 
town, before the sulky or skeleton wagon. He was very 
docile, and I did not hesitate to recommend him as one 
hkely to make a very valuable road horse. My friend 
drove him on the track, and was very much pleased with 
him in every respect. After dinner, I hitched him to a 
buggy, to which the shafts were so short, that, in order to 
get him the requisite distance from the whiffle-tree, their 
points came just opposite the shoulder-blade. I appre- 
hended no trouble, relying on the quietness of his dis- 
position. We got into the wagon, and went to town ; the 
steam ferry-boat lay at the landing, where we met an 
acqamtance, and as we were talking to him, I saw that 
the horse was becoming fiigthened at the boat, and knowing 
that the pleasure of his new owner in dri\Tng him would 
be much enhanced if he did not see him act badly, I 
requested him to get out of the wagon, and I would diive 
on. Before he could get out, the horse became so uneasy 
as to render alighting difficult, and I undertook to turn 
him around in the street, so that he would not see the 
boat. In turning, the end of the shaft hit his shoulder 



IMPOKTANCE OF SIMPLE COMMANDS. 337 

and lie became frantic, bounding in tlie air like a horse 
that had never been harnessed. We were only a few feet 
from the bluff-bank of the river, and it appeared as if 
nothing would save us from taking an involuntary bath in 
the Father of Waters. I succeeded, however, in turning 
him in time to save us from going over the bank, and as 
we got fairly straight in the street, my friend grasped the 
reins. The instant he took hold of them, I gave up my 
pull, and said " whoa," the horse stopping immediately. 
Our united strength would have been insufficient to stop 
him by pulling, though as soon as he heard the command 
the former lessons were thought of and obeyed. Shortly 
after this occurrence, I took him on the ferry-boat, and as 
soon as his curiosity was satisfied, he was as tranquil as 
if in the stable. 

Pkeceptoe. — Perfect acquiescence to our demands can 
only be looked for when they are not unreasonable, and 
the habit of using several words to denote one meaning, 
or one word to denote different actions, will only 
confuse the horse, who is fi-equently punished for the 
stupidity of the driver. I noticed the peculiarity when 
driving your horses, and congratulate you on the know- 
ledge your pupils display in this essential particular. Yet 
it strikes me you were a httle afraid that Jane would prove 
refractory, ^vhen you signified your fear that you might be 
compelled to injure her mouth to stop her running away. 

Pupil. — I did not know whether the lessons she learned 
on the track, or those of a later day, would have the most 
weight, but was inclined to think the earler impressions 
would prove the stronger. Colts that I have broken are 
taught at every subsequent period that this demand must 
be complied with, and when driven either in or out of the 
shafts, it is duly kept in their mind. 

Pbeceptoe. — There is some sense in your reasoning. 



838 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

though I predict Jane will be of very little trouble ; so har- 
ness her, and let us see. Well, how did she drive ? 

Pupil. — Admirably, considering her former habits. I 
only had to stop her twice, when she took the gait you 
specified for her to go, and retained it till I thought it 
was time to bring her to the bam. 

Preceptor. — ^Everything is working very favorably, and 
ought to impx'ess upon you the value of kind treatment. 
There are two main ideas to enforce on a horse's mind. 
The first, that you are his superior, when he wiU show his 
loyalty by never rebelling, just as one horse in a pasture 
field is acknowledged the " boss," till he corners the others 
where they have to fight ; and desj»3ration lending them 
energy to gain the battle, the quondam monarch is deposed. 
The second precept is, that you are his fiiend, taking more 
dehght in rewards than punishment, and thus bring both 
passions to your aid — fear and love. I want to see Chpper 
harnessed. I have been making arrangements that will 
prevent my being with you all the time as heretofore, 
though I will be on hand frequently to notice how you 
are getting on, and to give such du'ections as you may 
need. WTienever a change of work or treatment is ve- 
quired, I will stay long enough to see and note the 
consequences. The worst thing I feared was that Jane 
would prove unmanageable ; her amiabiHty has got rid 
of that clog, and you will get along finely. 

Pupil. — My sorrow at losing your company is a mark 
of selfishness that I hope you will overlook. Thanks to 
your teachings, I feel a great deal more confidence in my 
ability to manage thou I did, and while I would not have 
you neglect your own affairs to further mine, I shall be 
glad to have your aid and support whenever convenient. 

Preceptor. — There is great pleasure in assisting those 
who anxiously strive to learn, and I have been much 
gratified with the constant attention you have given. The 



SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 339 

traiBing of horses is like all other human affairs — those 
who think the most will succeed the best. Mental power 
is as certainly benefited by cultivation as physical power, 
and one cannot be sustained in full vigor without the aid 
of the other. As Dr. Johnson remarked, there are only 
two ways of doing a tiling — a right and a wrong way — 
and we will invariably find that the thinking worker will 
be nearer right, in a majority of cases, than the man whose 
mind is not in exercise. Training horses for fast work is 
a science that has been neglected, so that the best of us 
have only a very trifling insight into its causes and effects, 
though I believe the day is not distant when the value of 
scientific knowledge in this branch will be recognized, and, 
in order to obtain employment, those who make training 
their business will have to go through a course of study to fit 
them for performing their duties understandingly. It is 
true that there are many whose success merits the en- 
comiums they receive, their industry, application, and 
energy having mastered the intricacies, without other help 
than long practice has given them. Yet these exceptions 
only prove the necessity ior a more rigid course of study. 
Science can never be expected to do away with practical 
knowledge, and however much benefit we may derive from 
its light, it will have to be joined to the art that is acquired 
alone from daily use. Clinical teachings have been found 
more effectual than reading, in preparing men to success- 
fully contend against the encroachments of disease ; yet 
both combined will not alone entitle the doctor to con- 
fidence. He must have acquired knowledge by his in- 
dividual efforts, and without this practice, he is unable to 
form a correct diagnosis, or pursue a proper treatment. 

That grey fellow, I see, is ready for you to jumj) behind 
him and drive him leisurely twice round the track. He 
has rather a singular gait when going slow, as if he had 
rot ihe free use of his limbs ; this will wear off as he gets 



340 HOESE POETKAITUEE. 

more exer;:te. There is a great improvement in the 
appearance of his Hmbs, and they now look as well as 
though he had gone through the orthodox courses of 
physic, which would have further weakened the tone of 
his stomach. The thickening of the integuments can never 
entirely be got rid of. Firing would be beneficial, but I 
very much dislike to make a horse undergo the torture of 
the iron, unless in cases that imperatively demand the 
application. 

PuprL. — With the recollections of the Injuns and their 
red-hot iron scrapers so fi'esh in my mind, I could not 
bear to see a horse fii-ed. Chpper's legs being so much 
better than I ever saw them, I am in hopes they will now 
stand the work. 

Pkeceptoe. — Percival, in concluding an essay on the 
strain of the flexor tendons, after recommending the iron 
in extreme cases, says : — " By the firing-irons have horses, 
originally worth their hundreds of pounds sterhng, been 
raised from the knacker's price to their former value. By 
the iron has many a broken-down hunter, and many a 
racer, been joyously restored to his station and rank in 
the field where his proudest laurels have been won." 
Percival is high authority in everything pertaining to 
horse surgery, and his opinions are worthy of consideration. 
Before I would have the operation of firing performed, I 
would consult the best veterinarian within reach, and only 
resort to it as the last chance. Thanks to the introduction 
of chloroform, we can do away with the pain attending the 
application of the cautery, and whenever a painful operation 
has to be undergone, the relief it gives should be taken 
advantage of. If it were necessary, I would rather hve on 
one meal a day for a month, than debar a horse from the 
benefits of this agent, when undergoing a painful opera- 
tion. 

We have yet time, before the feeding hour, to see how 



MAT IN HEE NEW SHOES. 341 

May will perform in her new shoes. They will induce a 
higher lifting of the foot now than after she has worn 
them for some time— so that, if they are going to be of 
service, they wiU show it at once. I have mentioned before 
the great difference in a horse's action by a trifling differ- 
ence in the weight of the shoes. A few ounces added or 
subtracted, inequality of the sides, lowering either side by 
a greater reduction of the horn, is often followed by ^ 
change that no one would have credited without a trial. 
By changing the shape of the ground surface of a horse's 
foot even structural defects may be overcome, and the 
bias arising from malformation be remedied. You can 
also buclile the roll on to May's right hind pastern, which 
wiU guard it against injury, and will give her confidence 
as weU as protection. We are wonderfully fortunate in 
our ex2)eriments, having been, in a measure, successful in 
all we have undertaken. May will soon go as straight as 
any of them. When driving her, in the future, confine 
her to the stretches when you speed her, and it will be as 
well to turn her every time you come through, so as only 
to traverse this part of the track. 

Between now and dinner we will consider what is further 
to be done towards the conditioning of the older horses, 
and in educating the yoiuiger. The Falcon there is no 
difficulty with. He will take aU the work necessary to 
prepare him for any kind of a race. For the ensuing week, 
prolong his work to jogging five miles, with a mile or so 
at a three-and-a-half gait. His feed can be increased to 
ten quarts of the mixed feed per day. As he has become 
as tractable on the track as on the road, you can vary the 
locality of the work of all of the horses, by driving once 
or twice in the week on the smoothest, and softest road 
you can find. In three days you can prepare Falcon for 
a sweat, the same as we did Never Mind, only he can have 
his usual allowance of hay until the night before we give 
'l5^ 



342 HOESE POKTEAITURE. 

fclie sweat. Wlieii lie is grazing, take liim to a secluded 
part of the field, where lie will not be disturbed by the 
other horses. 

Never Mind will not need the same amount of work ; 
jog him three miles, with two at an increased gait ; to- 
morrow morning you can allow him to brush three- 
quarters of the way down the stretch, but be sure you 
keep him inside his best rate. The preparation for his 
second sweat will be identical with that for the fii-st. We 
will sweat him and Jane on the same day, so you can pre- 
pare her at the same time. You will have to use your 
own judgment in the work you give her. I would prefer 
it to be a medium between the Falcon's and Never Mind's. 
Above everything else, endeavor to keep her going quietly, 
without anything approaching a hard pull. Keep a strict 
watch of the boys, that they do not even speak harshly to 
her. Should any of them have a cross fit, and twitch the 
horses by the bit, or kick and strike them, discharge them 
on the spot. Clipper must be jogged very quietly, and 
his morning and evening walk be curtailed. Watch his 
legs very closely, and if you are sure there is not a particle 
of heat, use cold water to wash them, applying the band- 
ages, di'awing them a little closer than before, and have 
his legs well hand-rubbed, the boy occupying an hour 
in performing this task. Should there be any heat, use 
the hot water, put a dry bandage over the wet, and leave 
them on aU night. Let him be grazed for the time his 
walk is shortened in the evening, and when in the stable, 
have him kept as quiet as possible. His feed can remain 
the same as it is now. Never Mind and Jane can have an 
additional quart at night. 

Hirondelle will have to be driven a good deal like Jane. 
You can give her long, steady work, keeping her well in 
hand, and endeavoring to keep her high spirit within 
proper bounds. I think her knee action will be improved 



RATTLES, HITCHING, ETC. 343 

by wearing the rattles once in a while. These are only to 
be put on occasionally, as their every-dq,y use would defeat 
the object we have in \dew ; the novelty would soon wear 
away, and the only thing gained would be the added 
weight. Some cover rattles with chamois skins, to prevent 
them chafing the skin. I would rather protect that by a 
thin piece of leather or cloth tied on by itself, as the 
covering injures the flexibility of the rattles, and the noise 
the beads make striking against each other induces higher 
action, than would be the case if the noise did not accom- 
pany their use. 

Oriole had better have her fast work ia short brushes, 
and whenever she shows an inclination to hitch, pull her 
up, and start her again. I have seen horses that would 
hitch when going at moderate speed, and when driven 
faster would go as true, and square as could be desired. 
Oriole, being anxious to do all, or more than is required, 
hitches in endeavoring to take a longer stride. This is 
more favorable than if she had acquired it by pulhng 
heavy weight, which would be harder to set right. Ma- 
vourneen will have to be driven according to your discre- 
tion. I am afraid she will not repay you as well for the 
time spent as the others, but one can never prophesy very 
confidently about trotting colts. Those we think the least 
of may change in their way of going, and surprise us by 
beating others that seemed greatly superior. 



CHAPTEK XXIV. 

DAY DREAMS — FOOD FOR HORSES IN TRAINING — HAT, CORN 

BLADES, STRAW, OATS, CORN, LINSEED-MEAL, OAT-MEAL, 

SAGO, GREEN FOOD, ETC. — TIME OF FEEDING. 

Pupil. — 1 will have to find amusement in following the 
vagaries of my imagination, when deprived of your com- 
pany Avhile smoking after dinner. Whether the habit of 
day dreaming when the pipe is Ht, which my forest hfe 
has fostered, will ever be broken, I cannot imagine. It is 
certain that I cannot read when I am thus engaged. If I 
attempt to find instruction or amusement in books, I am 
»insuccessful. The book wiU drop, and I am transported 
♦;o other times, and far-away places, or am reveling in 
scenes that can never be expected to occur. Conversation 
iispels the phantasies of the brain, and absolves me from 
iihis foUy when in company. Should I endeavor to study, 
when alone, the task is as futile as reading. I am soon 
lost in reveries, and I have given up all hopes of saving 
the time occupied in solitary smoking. The half hour thus 
spent, or thrown away, has become a luxuiy which I would 
be loth to part with, if for nothing more than that it is 
a prolongation of the happy period, akin to the bright 
days of youth, when the fancy pictured glowing futurities, 
of which the judgment yet did not show the faUac}^ 

My countrymen have been characterized as a painstak- 
ing, demure, stubborn sort of people, who found in every- 
day reality, a life more pleasing than any efforts of the 
imagination could afford. I am satisfied they are wronged 



''AULD SCOTIA." 345 

in this estimate, and tliat no oilier people are so completely 
carried away with, or live more in, an ideal world. My 
first recollections are of sitting on an old nurse's lap — 
under whose fostering care two generations of our family 
had been nurtured — and listening to the tales she told, 
still vividly remembered. I am satisfied she did not depend 
on her memory, as the infinite variety of tales, from which 
she always selected the one most appropriate to the mood 
of her auditors, was beyond human recollection. Fairies, 
brownies, goblins, water-kelpies, and all spirits ever sup- 
posed to have an existence in any element, were at her 
will ; the dramalis perso7ice of romances that would take 
the nights of a winter month to bring to a conclusion. 
There were ghost stories that, in the horrid ghastliness of her 
minute descriptions, fairly curdled the blood ; legends of 
castle, town, and lonely cot, and histories of every " ruin- 
ed wa " in the neighborhood were faithfully recounted ; 
old battles, in which some ancestor had taken a prominent 
part, were told so hei-oically that even the child was a mimic 
soldier, and felt his heart swell in the hopes of imitating 
those deeds of high devoir ; love tales, where the suitor 
went away in poverty, to dwell in foreign lands, returning 
rich and distinguished, to find the lassie that had been the 
magnet which attracted him to conquer every obstacle, 
some of them seemingly insurmountable was "aye leal" — 
always true — 

" ' Away wi' beguiling, cried the youth, smiling, 
Off went the bonnet, the lintwhite locks flee ; 

The belted plaid fa'ing, her white bosom shawing, 
F:dr stood the loved maid wi' the dark rolling e'e." 

The history of " Auld Scotia," so much hke a romance, 
lost none of the brightness of coloring in her hands. 
From the time the victorious Romans built the celebrated 
wall to assist in protecting themselves fi'om the valor of 



346 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

a people, their superiors in bravery, to the union with 
England, her knowledge was far beyond that of the books. 
Of things that happened subsequently to the incorporation 
of the two countries, she would take no note, as, according 
to her idea, 

" The Englisli, for once, by guile won the day," 

and to join in friendship with their auld allies was a 
stretch of philosophical forbearance beyond the tenets in- 
culcated in her mind. The framers of the American Con- 
stitution, when they added the clause that the chief officer 
of this country should be a native, were aware of the ties 
that never can be broken, which binds a man to his father- 
land ; and though I left the bleak hills of Scotland when a 
boy, and a quarter of a century has elapsed since then, I 
would not renounce the place of my nativity, to be at the 
head of this powerful government. This is, no doubt, non- 
sense; as the renunciation would not aid me in climbing 
one step towards that high position, though the remem- 
brance of the heathery hills, the holms studded with 
gowans, and the sparkling burns, will always be a war- 
rant for my loyalty. 

Peggy's great /orte, however, was poetry, and her audi- 
tory of " toddlin bairns" was never cloyed by a sui-feit, 
though her repertoire of baUads, love songs, and merry 
chants was as extensive as her legendary lore. She could 
not often be coaxed to " wed the words of music," but 
when she did, the simple grace with which she sung the 
old Scotch tunes is remembered yet, sounding hke the 
voices I have heard in the woods at midnight — spirit- 
voices murmuring chimes of another laud. The feeling 
with which she rendered the pathetic ones, hke Cumnor 
Hall, or the lamentations of some of the exiled adherents 
of the house of Stuart, I have never heard equaled, and 



DAT DREAMS. 347 

wlien tlie little bosoms were heaving, and the tears could 
not be restrained by summoning the pride that considered 
such a display weakness, and derogatory to the character 
of manliness, which all Scotch boys are taught to believe 
the first great aim, — and were ciilminating in a flood of 
'^greeting," she would change the tears to hearty laughter 
by a grotesque recitation of some humorous song, that 
would have moved the mirth of the crying philosopher 
himself. Humor was not as much to her liking as the 
tender or supernatural, and unless she thought it necessary 
to remove j^ainful feehngs, induced by fear of seeing some 
spectre wraith flitting hj the ivy-curtained windows, or 
to banish those of acute commiseration, she never re- 
sorted to it. I have introduced the old nurse partly as 
an instance to prove that the existence of deep imaginative 
feeling among the Scotch is common — as I never heard 
my nurse was peculiar in this respect — and as possibly ac- 
counting for my habits of seeing visions and dreaming 
dreams at times when the mantle of sleep does not envelop 
me. I have found the benefit of looking for a "silver hning 
in every cloud ; " though one sink a heavy mass, un- 
relieved by th6 slightest penciling of a warmer color, the 
next one may be bright enough to make amends. The colt 
gamboling in the sunshine, and which we believed destined 
to do great deeds, to make the heart bound at the pleasure 
of having reared it, tnrns out at the allotted time to be 
worthless. The visions are dispelled only to be renewed 
with those of another year, invested with still brighter 
hopes. The cigars have burned out. Forgive the egotism 
that has intruded on you the days of childhood, which, 
however bright in the remembrance, are not exactly the 
thing to interest others. 

Pkeceptoe. — You need not apologise. I feel something 
of the same kind steal over me when smoking. I assuredly 
never thought the want of imagination a Scotch characteris- 



348 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

tic, and you are undoubtedly wrong in thinking such to 
be the estimate of the pubhc generally. Scotch history, 
her romances, traditions, poetry, and music, prove the 
contrary. I have read — aud who has not ? — ^many works of 
Scotch fancy ; and fi-om James the First of Scotland, in 
vfhose King's Quhair there is "Beauty enough to make the 
world to doat," to Alexander Smith, her poets have been 
in the front rank. Why, the Ettrick Shepherd coiild never 
have had an existence in a country whose people were not 
highly imaginative. His "Queen's Wake," though read 
many years ago, &sad my recollections of it indistinct now, 
still captivates my fancy ; and passages, thought to have 
been long forgotten, come freshly to my mind. How com- 
pletely does he exalt the "Lovely Kilmeny" above earthly 
life ! and when transporting her to the "land unseen," the 
transition appears proper, without the aid of death. For 

"her beauty was fair to see, 

But still and steadfast was her e'e ; 
Such beauty bard may never declare 
For there was no pride nor passion there. 
And the soft desire of maiden's e'en 
In that mild face could never be seen. 
Her seymar was the lily flower, 
And her cheek the moss rose in the shower. 
And her voice like the distant melodye 
That floats along the twilight sea." 

But to prove the imaginative power of Scotch poets and 
romance writers, would be a waste of time, hke giving 
reasons for twice two being four. 

We will now divest ourselves of sleeping or waking 
fancies, and consider the important question of feeding 
horses in training. In order that a horse may be in proper 
condition to go fast, the greatest care is requisite in 
feeding. The food must be of the best quality, and the 



THE BEST QUALITY OF HAY. 349 

aniotint regulated to the wants of the animal. Hay, corn 
blades, and straw are the articles used as the bulky por- 
tions of the food, and the different kinds of grain as the 
nutritious. It would be impossible to get a horse in order 
if restricted to either class. The hay would not afford 
nourishment sufficient, while the grain alone would not 
keep up the tone of the stomach, and indigestion would 
quickly follow. In my opinion, the best hay is good bright 
Timothy, cut at the j)roper time, and cured in a perfect 
manner. It is better for being two years old, as, when it 
has become thoroughly seasoned, there seems to be a 
change that renders it easier of chymification. It does 
not ferment in the stomach, and is, in every particular, 
better for the purpose. The hay cut from old meadows 
is superior to that from those recently laid down, unless 
the farmer has used a great deal more seed than a majority 
of agriculturists deem necessary. New meadows, where 
the soil is rich, and from twelve to sixteen quarts of seed 
sown to the acre, will grow better hay than old meadows 
that have become poor from long cropping. 

To determine good hay by observation is a very nec- 
essary knowledge on the part of the horse owner and 
trainer. It should be free from dirt or discoloration, the 
stalks fine, with plenty of leaves on them. When handled, 
a fragrant aroma should arise, and on examining the 
heads, the seeds should adhere to the husks that cover 
them. There is a stage in the growth of this grass when 
the dust or pollen of the flowers will rise in a clovid, when 
a puff of vnnd blows over the field. This is at the time of 
the first blossoming, and if the grass is cut at this stage, 
or before, the hay will be bad and dusty. This fine, al- 
most impalpable powder, will be very injui-ious, though 
extremely difficult to detect. The seed is the best g-uide, 
and in this case the ear will have a shriveled appearance, 
the seed scarcely formed. The heads or ears should be 



350 HORSE POKTKAITURE. 

nearly as plump as if the seeds were ripe, which will show 
that it has not been cut till after this dusty era has passed. 
If the grass stands too long, the woody fibre predominates, 
and the hay is brittle, tasteless, with only a small part of 
its nutritive qualities left. Hay sometimes heats, or mow- 
burns, without showing discoloration enough to detect it 
from the appearance. To discover this, take up a large 
haiidful and hold it to the mouth and nostrils, breathing 
on it, and if it is injured, a moldy odor will be apparent. 

The evils resulting from using foxy, mowburnt hay, are 
generally known and guarded against. Horses will eat it 
greedily, the sweet taste it has acquired from the process 
of fermentation making it palatable to them when they 
are first fed with it. I have heard people remark, " That 
hay does not look vei-y well, but my horses eat it first 
rate ;" when it has been almost damaged enough to be 
poisonous. It soon affects the kidneys, causing an excessive 
flow of ui-ine, which unchecked, would soon end in debility. 
This seems to occur before there is much derangement 
of the stomach, though continuing its use would also dis- 
order that. 

A mixture of Timothy and red-top makes very good 
hay, and would be my next choice after that wholly con- 
sisting of the first named. Clover will not do, under any 
circumstances, no matter how much care has been taken 
in cutting and curing. It seems to interfere with the action 
of the respiratory organs, and is inadmissible for horses 
in training, and can only be used as green food. Corn 
blades are very valuable as "fodder" for horses in training, 
and when I wanted a horse in "tip-top-fettle," I would 
rather pay an exorbitant price than do without them. 
They ought to be stripped fi'om the stalk when the grain 
begins to glaze, stuck up in small handfuls on the ears to 
dry, and when thoroughly cm-ed, bound in small bundles, 
and stored on a scaffolding, formed of poles placed on the 



STRAW AS FORAGE. 351 

beams of the barn. It would not do to put many of them 
together, as the least fermentation spoils them. They 
have to sweat as well as hay, but the dampness arising 
must have every oj^portunity to evaporate. I would feed 
them alternately with hay, as blades in the forenoon and 
hay at night, though I have known horses that would do 
better on the corn blades alone. I also prefer to use them 
before a race, trial, or sweat, as they seem to be advan- 
tageous to the action of the lungs, probably not so much 
from occupying a smaller sj)ace in the stomach, and thus 
not interfering with the diaphragm, but also by a differ- 
ence in their chemical constituents. 

That there is greater freedom of breathing, when using 
one kind of food over another, is well known. Mr. Spal- 
ding, the celebrated diver, before the discovery of marine 
armor, found that his diet had a sensible effect on the 
consumption of aii- in the diving-bell. I lament the want 
of a knowledge of chemistry, which would greatly aid me 
in forming correct oppinions on this point, and in default 
of that knowledge, can only state the result of experience, 
without being able to deduce the reasons why the differ- 
ence should exist. Lord Seymour, who did so much to 
estabHsh racing in France, trained his horses on straw for 
forage, and was very successful in gettting them in order. 
I have tried it with some horses that were habitually 
costive, with good results. I cut it in a straw-cutting ma- 
chine and mixed it with the grain, a portion in the feed 
after the morning's exercise, and the balance at night. By 
being mixed, the grain was better masticated than other- 
wise, though this can always be accomplished by making 
the horse eat with a large bar bit in his mounth. Prairie 
hay I have heard highly extolled by some of those who 
had made trips into the section of country where its use 
was general, but having no personal acquaintance, I can 
say nothing about it. 



352 HOESE PORTRAITUEE. 

Pupil. — When I "moved to the West," there was no 
other kind grown, and it would have been thought folly 
for a man to seed his ground to Timothy or clover, when 
he could have thousands of tons of prairie hay for the 
cutting. The whole country at that time, saving the small 
proportion in cultivation, was covered with grass. The 
rolling prairie had a fine growth, that would yield from 
one to two tons to the acre. The small ravines and little 
flats lying along the creeks had a thick growth, somewhat 
like red-top, which would cut two to three tons. The large 
bottoms bordering on the Mississippi and other rivers 
were hid by a growth that looked Hke a diminutive 
cane-brake, and would cut four tons and upwards to the 
acre. The variety of large grass thought most highly of 
is called blue-joint, and I have seen it grow so high as to 
completely hide a man on horseback, when riding through it. 

A few miles north of my place is a bottom at the junc- 
tion of the Maquoketa river with the Mississippi ; it is 
some six or eight miles wide between the bluffs on the 
latter named river, gradually narrowing as it recedes till, 
some twelve or fifteen miles up, the bluffs come together 
with just room for the smaller river to run through. These 
bluffs are an appropriate fi-amework, rising to a height 
of three hundred feet, their sides nearly perjaendicular and 
rocky, but where their abruptness is not excessive a 
heavy timber is growing. From the summit of the bluffs 
one can see almost every acre of this luxuriant delta, and 
in the month of July to look down on this waving "emerald 
sea" of verdure is a beautiful sight. 

On this bottom I was favored once with the grandest 
demonstration of the sublimity of a prairie on fire that I 
ever witnessed. I had seen, hundreds of times, the ruddy 
streams chasing each other over the rolling prairie, the 
line extending for miles, flickering and flashing over 
thousands of acres. This is always a pretty sight, calhng 



A PEAIRIE ON FIRE. 353 

forcibly for admiration, without exciting a thought of fear. 
A man could brealc through the edging of fire with no greater 
injury than he would find in stepping over the boxwood 
border in the garden. 

But this bottom, clothed with an immense growth of 
blue-joint, flags, and weeds, dried till they were as inflam- 
mable as pine shavings, when on fire conveyed, while 
there was abundant room for admiration, an idea of the 
power of the destructive element, that almost appalled me 
•with its ferocity. The night on the occasion of which I 
speak was dark and still. Heavy clouds hid every star 
from view, and there was no wind. The fire originated in 
the extreme South-east corner of the bottom, and might 
have been caused by a spark from a passing steamboat. 
The residents on the verge of the woods seeing the light, 
at once commenced firing the diy grass in their neigh- 
borhood, so as to "back fire" away from doing injury to 
the timber, fences, and stacks at the foot of the bluffs. 
Scarcely a quarter of an hour had elapsed before there 
was a perfect cordon of fires surrounding the whole extent, 
and, following the irregular outline at the base of the 
hills, it could be compared to a huge serpent; gliding in 
glowing folds, and throwing ofl' scintillations from its 
luminant scales. The advancing columns drew along very 
placidly, streaming directly upwards in the still air. It 
was not long ere the smoke began to wave and surge, and 
the flames to leap higher, and the crackling sound was 
soon joined to a sibilant, purring noise, and currents of 
air began to draw through the notches among the bluffs, 
and strangely moan in the dwarfed red cedars that fringed 
the rock where I was seated. The murky clouds absorbed 
the red light from the fire, which had now become exten- 
sive enough to illuminate the bluffs, and cause the lesser 
stream to look like one of blood. The wailing and sighing 
of the wind increased, the columns of fire swayed, shook 



354: HOESE POETRAITUKB. 

and twisted themselves into rapid evolutions ; now shoot- 
ing upward far, far into the lurid sky ; now throwing 
themselves forward till the whole level prairie was ab- 
sorbed, and burst at once into a tumultuous flaming sea. 
Looking from my elevated situation, the valley appeared 
as if transformed into a molten, seething lake, hemmed in 
with red-hot walls, so that the tormented spirits could not 
escape. 

Burning this hay is not the way to acquaint you with 
its value for forage. Much diversity of opinion prevails 
in reference to its qualities, and while some of the Western 
trainers will not use it, there are others who think it the 
only kind suitable for horses that work fast. These last 
will point triumph antly to the fact that when prairie hay 
only was used, heaves were unknown in the Western 
country, and that with the advent of Timothy meadows, 
required by the settlement of the country, this distressing 
malady also made its appearance. There is no question 
of the truth of this assertion. \Vhen I first went to Iowa 
the disease Avas totally unknown, and the absence of it 
ascribed to a variety of causes. But the prevalence of this 
affection of the lungs in the same locality now, where the 
only change has been the substitution of cultivated for the 
prairie grasses, certainly proves where the cause exists. 
Notwithstanding this, I do not like it as weU as Timothy, 
the Hability of which to injure the lungs would be done 
away with, if proper care were taken in the cutting, 
curing, and preserving. 

Thick seeding, as you remarked is very necessary to 
obtain good hay, not only by causing a finer growth of the 
stalk and an increase of the leaves, but, by getting a thick 
sward, we also get rid of a good deal of dust. Should there 
oe patches of the gTouud uncovered, the fine particles of 
the soil become disintegrated by the beating of the rain, 
and, adhering to the plant, are shaken off when fed, and 



WEEDS "WITH PRAIRIE HAT. 355 

carried witli the air into the lungs. My objection to prairie 
hay is, the tendency to px'odnce costiveness ; and if much 
of it is fed, you will always notice that the excrements are 
hard, and of a dark color. Of the three varieties I have 
mentioned, the kind that would seem the least fitted for 
nourishment I am satisfied is the best, viz : the large 
blue-joint.* I have noticed that stock kept on that have 
been invariably in the best condition, and the farmers 
who lived on the margin of the Maquoketa bottom, and 
who wintered large herds of cattle on this alone, had their 
animals in better plight in the spring, than the dwellers 
on the prairie who fed the finer kinds and added a pro- 
portion of grain. Some of this prairie hay has a delightful 
fragrance ; this and the bright green color it displays in 
midwinter, have led people to place too high an opinion 
on its nutritive quaUties. There is frequently a weed 
mixed with this hay that I am certain is injurious. It is 
called resin-weed, from a similarity of taste and smell to 
that substance. It is a very powerful diuretic, and as it is 
eaten with avidity, it cannot fail to do harm. Some 
ascribed the immunity from heaves to this ingredient, and 
extracts were made and recommended as a specific for 
most of the diseases of the throat and lungs. I have 
known two horses injured from giving them this extract, 
and have no doubt that others have been rendered worth- 
less from partaking of it in its natural and less powerful 
form. There are undoubtedly other plants cut with the 
hay that are not projDcr for a horse to eat, and so, to be sure 
that I do not give any of them, I would refrain from 
feeding the hay that contained them. 

Preceptob. — Here is a table of the relative value of hay 
and other foods, compiled from experiments in Trance 
and Germany : — 



356 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 



ONE HUNDRED POUNDS OF GOOD HAY IS EQUAL IN NOURISHMENT TO 



400 ft) of green clover. 

275 ft) of green Indian corn. 
874 ft> of wheat straw. 

442 lb of rye straw. 
195 K» of oat straw. 
400 lb of dried stalks of Indian corn. 

276 ft) of carrots. 
54 ft) of rve. 



45 lb of wheat. 
54 ft) of barley. 
59 ft) of oats. 
57 lb of Indian corn. 
62 ft) of sxinflower seeds. 
69 ft) of linseed cake. 
105 ft) of wheat bean. 
83 ft) of dried oak leaves. 



TMs table was the result of experiments conducted by 
tbe most eminent scientific agriculturists, and can be relied 
on as correct, as far as such things can be proven. I am 
at a loss to knovf what is meant by the "dried stalks of 
Indian corn." If they were divested of the blades, I would 
have thought them of no value, and with the leaves on, they 
would not be so much inferior. Some trainers are so 
particular as to stem the corn blades when feeding them, 
but I think that is unnecessary. Neither can I recommend 
the adoption of the plan of pulling hay, as it strips off the 
leaves, which are the most nutritive portions. The hay 
ought to be well shaken up, tossing it hghtly with a fork, 
which will free it fi-om dust as effectually as the boys do 
by twitching it through hands that have been just picking 
up the droppings, and which must, in a measure, conta- 
minate the hay, and make it less agreeable to the nice 
discriminating taste of the horses. 

The time for feeding the hay is after the morning and 
evening exercise, and the amount must be regulated to the 
requirements of each horse. There are those that will 
eat so much as to be totally unfit for fast work, while 
others are benefited by coaxing them to eat all they can. 
A heavy carcased, craving animal would distend himself 
with hay if allowed, till he would be in no better plight 
for rapid exertion than a fat alderman, who had just dined 
on turtle soup, roasted venison, with a bottle or two of 



VARIETY OF FOOD. 357 

heavy port. The light-waisted, delicate, finely organized 
animal never eats or drinks too much, requiring manage- 
ment to induce him to take more sustenance than he 
otherwise would. The grain that ninety horses in every 
hundi-ed are fed with, when in training, is oats, and when 
bran and corn are added, the variety is complete in a still 
greater proportion. Oats are to the horse what bread is 
to man, " the staflf of life ;" though, IbeHeve, other articles 
of diet can be used advantageously. As I ha,ve remarked 
before, oats have more husk than any other gi-ain, causing 
them to weigh less, according to the bulk, than any of 
those in common cultivation. That this is an advantage, 
in some cases, will be admitted, as when the stomach re- 
quires more distension than the hay fed gives ; and should 
we change a horse's feed from twelve quarts of oats a day 
to half that amount of corn, wheat or barley, the change 
would necessitate an increase in the quantity of hay used. 
A majority of horses can be brought into good condition 
by using oats alone, though I find that " order " is acquired 
more readily, when I use other articles of food in combina- 
tion with them. There is an improvement in the health 
of man by using different kinds of aliment, and this rule 
will also hold good in the management of horses — fast 
work requiring scrupulous care, neither to overload the 
stomach, nor place articles in it that are not nutritious. 
Thus we cannot avail ourselves of a change that might 
ultimately benefit the health, if not compatible with these 
considerations. This may appear paradoxical, yet it is 
nevertheless true. What Leibig calls the " plastic elements 
of nutrition," consisting of substances abounding iu nitro- 
gen, must be combined with a sufficient quantity of carbon 
— one to form blood with the proper constituents to 
promptly repair the daily waste of the tissues, and the other 
to create heat and assist the respiration. There is nearly 
as much nitrogen in oats as any other grain, being only 

16 



358 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

one-tenth of one per cent, less than wheat, while there i8 
fifty-one per cent, of carbon, wheat having forty-six per 
cent. Oats having been found superior to any other grain 
for the food of horses when working fast, it is fair to infer 
that the proportion of nitrogen and carbon in this gi'ain 
is the best. 

Without doubt, the grain used in the analyses I have 
quoted, was of the very best quality, and from the results 
of experiments in England, where the oats are better and 
heavier than here, shows more nutritive qiialities than 
ours would. I have seen oats that looked plump weigh 
only twenty-eight pounds to the bushel, and I have used 
those that weighed upwards of forty pounds. It will 
readily be granted that a horse would require more quarts 
of the first, and he will also want more potmds of them to 
obtain the same nutriment, the Hghter ones having so 
much thicker husks. Good oats are an absolute necessity, 
and unless they possess the qualities requisite, we will be 
unable to get a horse in proper condition. I have stated 
before, that they ought to be heavy, two years old, and 
remain in the stack long enough to sweat before they are 
put in the bin. They will sweat there again, and every 
year they are kept they go through this process, which is 
probably the reason why old oats are so much better than 
new ones. To detect mustiness, breathe on them, as I 
directed for the hay. Observe closely, to notice whether 
they have sprouted while in the shock or stack. You will 
discover in this case the dried germ still adhering to the 
kernel. See that there is no foreign substances mixed 
with them, as seeds of weeds, gravel, dirt, &c., &c. 

Poor com is easier told than inferior oats. The ears 
should be bright, the kernels solid and plump, and on 
breaking the ear there should be no dampness or mold. 
The other articles needed, as bran. Unseed meal, oat meal, 
sago, &c., &c., it is needless to say, should be of the very 



NUMBER OF FEEDS. 359 

best. There is only one use I have for sago, making 
gruels for horses that have become feverish, and are 
"baked," as the grooms say. Their coats are dry and 
have lost their lustre, and the perspiration that should 
follow their work does not take place. Sago gruels, 
acidulated drinks, with a reduction of their work, will 
generally effect a cure, unless the cause is disease which 
wlU require the attendance of the veterinarian. I have 
changed my system of feeding fi'om what I formerly 
practiced, in relation to the frequency with which I give 
the meals. When I commenced training, six feeds in the 
twenty-four hours was thought necessary. After a while 
I tried five, and thought I observed a benefit from the 
curtailment, and now I am satisfied that four feeds a day 
are better than to have them come closer together. The 
amount conveyed to the stomach requires time to digest 
before it is replenished, and four hoiirs is a short enough 
space for the food to undergo this process. I also like to 
have the stomach distended so as to increase the muscular 
strength of this organ, which would not be the case if 
smaller quantities were given with greater frequency. To 
perform its functions properly the stomach must have 
intervals of work and repose, proper exercise being as 
essential to keep it in vigor as for any other part of the 
anatomy. Owx feeds coming at five and ten o'clock A. M., 
and three and seven P. M., will only be varied in those 
horses that cannot have their fast work given between the 
first and second feeds. The time it takes the horses to 
eat their hay in the evening, will leave them about eight 
hours for repose, which is none too much. 

Pupil. — Do you think sago preferable to green food for 
inducing perspiration in horses that are " burned " ? I 
have had great faith in the efl&cacy of allowing a horse to 
eat plentifully of grass, green corn blades, &c., when in 
that fix. 



360 HORSE POETEAITURE. 

Peeceptob. — As a preventive, I would prefer grazing 
alone, but when the horse has become burnt, I would rather 
combine it with sago. When the system has become 
feverish the sago gruels, taking the place of water alone, 
have always proved beneficial with me. Yet if I had to 
forego the use of sago or green food, I would not hesitate 
an instant in discarding the first, and give the latter the 
preference over everything else, as an adjunct to correct 
the injuries arising from fast work, and for the diet of 
horses in training. If a horse is allowed to graze for half 
an houi', twice or three times a week, and his work and 
food are judiciously given, there will very seldom be any 
necessity for demulcent drinks, excepting when sweating, 
or after giving extra work, as in a trial or race. The 
succulent herbage will do away with the necessity for 
giving so many bran-mashes, which I do not regard with 
the favor that many do. I use them, but not with the 
frequency of many of my aquaintances, trusting to the more 
natiu-al food, which has never failed me yet in doing what 
I expected. It will not do to give it at particular stages 
of -the training, as there are times when one requires the 
system to be " keyed up " to the highest tone. Then only 
the most nutritious food is admissible. An eminent 
veterinary writer remarks of green food, that " wounds 
heal more kindly, inflammatory diseases are not so fatal, 
and chronic diseases frequently abate, or they entii*ely 
disappear under the use of gxass. The horse, however, is 
always soft when fed much on green food. He sweats a 
great deal, and is soon exhausted with his work." Our 
aim, therefore, should be to feed enough and at proper 
times to obtain the benefit of its medicinal properties, 
without going far enough to debilitate the animal by too 
free and frequent a use. 

Pupil. — You would advise grazing, rather than cutting 
the grass and conveying it into the staU ? 



NEW WAT TO EXERCISE HORSES. 361 

Preceptor. — At this season of the year I much prefer 
the auimal to pick it himself. He chooses that which 
suits him the best, and there are no flies to annoy him. 
In extremely hot weather, or when the flies have become 
troublesome or in the fall, when the juices are diminished, 
I would give it in the stal^le. 

Pupil. — Why, I know a man who took advantage of the 
flies to assist him in exercising. Last July and August 
there was a great deal of rain, making the track and roads 
very muddy. This man had a couple of promising colts, 
and during this muddy time he would tie them in a small 
yard for two or three hoi^rs every day, and let them 
" fight flies " by way of exercise. He told me this himself, 
and took much credit for the invention. 

Preceptoe. — I wish I could have tied him in an Arkansas 
swamp, for the same length of time, and let the gaUinip- 
pers and musquitoes make him dance to the music of 
their shrill pipes. If his treatment in other particulars 
was akin to this, he must have ruined his colts. 

Pupil. — He was at first very successful in developing 
their speed, and a month or two previous I thought the 
two colts were the best I had ever seen. But the fly ex- 
periment was not a successful one, as they could not trot 
as fast in the fall as they did in the early part of the 
season; but there were other points in his 'treatment 
fully as inimical to improvement as the one I have 
mentioned. 

Preceptor. — If he had other notions similar to that, it 
was no wonder, though I have seen men that knew very- 
little of training very fortunate in obtaining speed from 
horses. This is no argument against trying to learn all we 
can^ but only shows what fortuitous circumstances will 
accomplish. It will now occupy the remaining time for 
you to get through with the colts you have to drive this 
afternoon. I may be here in a day or two, and perhaps 



362 HORSE POETEAITURE. 

not before the end of the week. I believe you know what 
to do in the interim, and I shall not trouble you with any 
commands, as I want to see how you will get along by 
yourself. There is nothing hke proving theory by 
practice, and nothing will improve an individual like 
having to depend on himseK. 

Pupil. — I feel much more confidence in myself, which 
is one point gained, and I hope that I can go along in a 
manner that will justify my self-laudation. Before you 
go, I would like to know if there is any difference to be 
observed in giving the horses their water. 

Peeceptoe. — AVhen you finish driving, and the horse is 
unharnessed, give him a swallow or two of water, to 
moisten the liiDs, throat and tongue, and after he has been 
clothed and taken out to walk, give a few swallows more, 
finishiag with the usual quantity at feeding time. I have 
also changed from former practices in this respect. My 
custom was to " walk the water iato a horse," by keeping 
a bucket at the walking ring, and every few minutes giv- 
ing a portion of it, till the fifteen minutes' walk and the 
water came to an end at the same time. I think it is a 
better plan to wait till the circulation is quieter, before the 
stomach has much fluid put into it. We will give the 
subject of drink our attention hereafter, when we will 
have more time to discuss it. In the brush you give 
Never Mind to morrow, do not exceed three hundred 
yards. Watch May's action very closely, so as to report 
any changes, and should any of them show any symptoms 
of rebellion, treat them with increased kindness. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

WESTEBN CHAKACTEK — TROTTING IN SNOW — DIRECTIONS FOB 
WATEKING. 

Preceptor. — Good day, scholar. You will perceive I 
have dropped in in time for dinner, which, I am free to 
acknowledge, will come very acceptable. I have "occasion," 
and shall do justice to the good cheer your hostess always 
prepares for us. I will also admit that the "pleasures of 
hope" are likely to be fully realized, as I anticipated 
" blowing a cloud " with you, for I find no other cigars the 
equals of those Principes. 

Pupil. — I am dehghted to see you, and better pleased 
that you have timed your visit just as you have, when we 
can have a good talk without being interrupted with the 
driving. Please to step into my room, as I have another 
evidence of Western liberaHty to show you. 

Preceptor. — True enough, you have a goodly "lay out," 
and I would suppose, from the exhibition of this 
paraphernaHa, that you have foregone your strict tem- 
perance principles, and become a votary of the vine-clad, 
jolly god, as well as a disciple of the Indian weed. 

Pupil. — I have no intention of indulging in any of these 
enticements, and my vow of strict total abstinence from 
spirits, wine, or beer, is no more likely to be broken than 
if this nectar were a hundred miles off. But test it, fill 
up a bumper of what you like the best ; . I will warrant it 



364 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

of the true quality, and after you have imbibed, will read 
you a letter that accompanied it. 

Preceptor. — " That good wine needs no bush," is an old 
and true adage. I hardly ever drink till after dinner, and 
do not feel capable of giving an opinion that would be 
worthy of much weight, but that brandy I toot the thim- 
bleful of is as smooth as oil, and nearly as fragrant as the 
breath of the morning. 

Pupil. — ^I want you to try a bottle of that sherry at 
dinner. If you praise the odor of the brandy, you will be 
completely carried away Avith the aroma — but the letter 
will say better than I what needs to be said: — 

" Chicago, June 1st, 18 — . 

" My Dear Friend. — Having a httle spare time on my 
hands, I thought I would acquaint you with what is going 
on in this tight httle town. No doubt Hod keeps you 
much better posted on all pertaining to horses and other 
&c's, of which he is so good a judge; but there are things 
of which I know a httle myself, and which I could not 
help bringing to your notice. In this country where the 
air is clear, and no salt vapors borne on every breeze, a 
man can keep healthy as easy as a horse. All that he has 
to do is to eat, drink, laugh, and take his share of exercise 
to get along jBrst-rate. But do\\Ti where you are now, 
there is a vast difference. The sea fogs and the sea winds 
penetrate everything, and a man can no more be healthy 
without a drop to repel these insinuating ocean-bred 
vapors, than a man can keep warm ia his shirt sleeves 
when the wind blows from off the lake. So I send you a 
variety of my very best, and if you are still too obstinate 
to take it in moderation yourself, for the sake of the 
reputation of your Western friends, treat your visitors with 
more respect than only to be shoving one of John E.'s re- 
gahas at them, without a drop to moisten their palates, 
which would make smoking endui'able. Surely, men can- 



LET TEE FROM CHICAGO. 365 

flot smoke all the while, and what would you have them 
do when listening to your long-winded stories about 
horses, and pedigrees, harnesses, and bits, if they have 
nothing but a trumpery cigar to suck at ? Why didn't 
you stop when you went through, and lay in a sujoply ? as 
I have no doubt we have all suffered from their taking 
you for a specimen of Western horsemen. Mind, they do 
not know you, and will ascribe to penuriousness what 
your friends are aware is only absence of mind, and not 
thinking of the wants of others. You talk about the com- 
fort of smoking, and the fine sights you see when the 
cloud is curling above your nostrils. Arrah na boclish, 
man ! there is more comfort in a whiskey punch of a cold 
night, and more fine imaginings in a dozen of them, than 
there is in all the cigars in 48 Dearborn Street put to- 
gether. I see you are hkely to get acquainted with Mr 
P. I know he is of the real sort ; and I will be wonder- 
fully disappointed if he gets there before you have some 
thing to treat him decently with. Tell him that sherry 
has been in the wood for fifteen-years, and that I bottled 
the port myself the same length of time ago. It is now 
just ripe, and he must on no account leave a bottle, as it 
will never be as good again. Tell the old man not to be 
vexed, that I have sent a basket of champagne for Misses 
Jane and Susan ; and I beheve you would have been 
omadhaun enough to have gone to the races at Jerome 
Park with them, and never have thought of clapping a 
few bottles in the carriage. The poetry of motion, as you 
call it, in seeing a half score of thoroughbreds rattling 
over a dirty track is rather a dry sight ; about as bad as 
smoking with only tasteless water to wash out the goiiL 
If you had only seen the field after the Galway hounds, 
or witnessed a steeple-chase with the Montgomery's, Lord 
Howth, and the dirty blackguard Tom Eerguson in it ! such 
a skrimmage at the finish, and such a shouting as you 



366 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

never can hear anywhere else. Ah ! that's worth all your 
racing, and stirs the blood equal to the best potheen. 
Well, we all have to be contented with trotters in this 
country. The two sorrel mares are doing first rate, and 
with Black Dan and his mate I can give Plowboy and 
Fine Cut as merry a chase to Hyde Park and back as 
they want. 

"If any of your Eastern acquaintances are coming this 
way, tell thefn to step into 112 Randolph Street, whenever 
anything belonging to me is at their sei'vice, and Hod and 
I will take delight in showing them what is worthy of 
seeing. 

"Don't forget to get a sideboard, and Iceep the bottles 
always in sight. Remember, every one does not smoke, 
and the only good in a cigar is the relish it gives to the 
drink. There is no use in hoping that you will follow 
sensible advice yourself ; but I hope that your pride that 
the character of the West does not suffer, will caution you 
to take the advice of your fiiend." 

This letter is a fair exemplar of the character of my 
friend. A liberal Irishman — he has had Western profu- 
sion gTafted on the kind disposition, till he not only wants 
to see his friends enjoying themselves, but is determined 
his friend's friends shall not lack for comforts if he can 
supply them. 

I will now — before we take dinner — give you a history 
of what I have done for the few days while you have been 
gone. I have followed the directions as nearly as I could, 
and have only varied from them with Delle. With her I 
have gone on the road every day, and after jogging six or 
eight miles have returned to the track, and speeded her 
up and down the stretches. Twice she has worn the rat- 
tles, and I wish you had been here to see her go. She is 
going to overtake May, in a very short time. She bends 
her knees with them on hke an old trotter, and in place 



REPOJIT OF THE HOR»ES. 367 

of rushing off her feet in a hundred yards, will go the 
whole length of the stretch without breaking. I have 
prepared Falcon for his sweat to-morrow, and intend that 
Jane and Never Mind shall go through the same opera- 
tion the day after. Clipper is doing very finely; there has 
been no heat in his legs, and less swelling than when I 
commenced driving him. May's action has undergone a 
change that I did not look for, having lengthened her 
stride, and she goes sweeping through the stretch a good 
deal like her sire. Oriole I have confined to very short 
brushes every other day, when I have let her spirt off for a 
hundred or two yards. She showed no symptoms of hitch- 
ing. One of the little boys has ridden Mavourneen along- 
side of me when I have been driving, and she seems bet- 
ter suited to the saddle than the harness. They are all 
eating well. Not one of them but is anxious for the feed- 
ing hour to come, and as it approaches, are all agog for 
their rations. Jane works as Idndly as when you saw her. 
Once she appeared a little fidgetty, when I turned hei 
round, going the reverse way of the track, and she be- 
came as sedate as I wanted. Should she continue as 
docile when sweating, I do not think we will have any 
further trouble with her. 

Pkeceptoe. — A very good report, only that you should 
not have speeded Delle every day. Twice a week, three- 
times at the outside, is enough for a horse to go at speed, 
and then the distance should be short. The instructions I 
gave you about driving the colts were not meant to embrace 
her; as her rate of going, when at her best speed, is fast 
enough to work injury if driven every day. 

Pupil. — In saying that I drove her fast every day up 
and down the stretches, I did not mean that I sent her at 
her best rate, and only when she wore the rattles did I 
Buffer her to approach it. 

Preceptor. — That is better. When the rattles are on, it 



368 HOESE POETRAITUEE. 

is necessary to let the horse slide along, so as to induce 
the bending of the knee, which will enable him to go fast, 
and thus, by associating the necessarily higher action re- 
quu'ed by speed, and that of the rattles together, the ben- 
efit is permanent. I have known a horse's knee action 
improved by being driven in deep sand, but there are few 
horses that would not be endangered in other respects, 
which would not be compensated for by the acquirement 
of better action in their knees. 

Pupil. — AHonging the colts in a deep, hght snow, has a 
good effect in increasing the bending of their knees, and 
I am in the habit of practicing them through the winter 
whenever a suitable time comes. I have seen colts that 
did not exhibit anything of a trotting gait when running 
in the pasture field, but on a fall of snow take to trotting 
through it in a manner that could not be excelled. A 
neighbor of mine bred three colts, which I purchased when 
they were yearhngs. They were by the Falcon, and their 
dams were half-bred. The one from the fastest ti'otting 
mare disappointed me greatly. He did not seem to have 
the faculty of bending his knees at all when trotting, and 
would shuffle along at that gait, turning his feet out ; the 
^hole motion appearing to be confined to the uj)per 
pastern joint. He was very handsome and showed a good 
deal of breeding. I gave him to a friend of mine, telhng 
him I was afraid he would prove an exception to the most 
of his relatives, though I still had hopes that the family 
charteristics only laid dormant, and would develop them- 
selves in time. From having more colts than I could 
break, he was suffered to run till after he was five years 
old, before he had a hai*ness put on him. The winter 
previous, the snow was very deep, and I had the satisfac- 
tion of seeing him trot through it with no fault apparent 
in his action. When broken, I drove him on a sandy road 
for a while, and in less than two months he could trot 



SHERRY BETWEEN THE HEATS. 369 

close to three minutes; and I have no doubt that when his 
training is resumed, he will gain, correspondingly to the 
work he gets. 

Peeceptor. — As I told you before, I have not looked on 
the alloyiging process with any favor. There would be an 
advantage attending it, however, in the case you mention ; 
as the horse would neither have to drag nor carry weight, 
I have thought that the excessive bending of the knee of 
most of the French horses, bred in Canada, has been owing 
to having acquired the habit by being driven chiefly when 
snow was on the ground, and should that be the case, we 
may look for improvement in those deficient, by subjecting 
them to the same woi-k, or something analogous. 

Pupil. — Dinner is now ready. Walk in, and I will go 
up stairs after the bottle of sherry, — or would you prefer 
port? 

Pbeceptob. — No, a half pint of sherry is the most ] 
indulge in at dinner, and, though I suppose your friend 
means me when he says the old man, I am not old enough 
to prefer the heavy, heady port to the more agreeable, 
nutty-flavored wine. Sherry is the only alcoholic or vinous 
stimulant that I ever give to a horse between the heats Id 
a race, and I always prefer to get along, if possible, with- 
out even that. When it is given, it should be some ten 
minutes before the start for the heat. I have seen men 
poiu' it down just as the horse was starting, which could 
do no good, as the energy it gives does not arise till the 
absorbents have time to take it into the system. 

Pupil. — Do not be offended at my friend calling you the 
old man. The term is often used in the West as a familiar 
manner of addressing a person that is much thought of, 
and, my life on it, should you go to Chicago and 
introduce yourself to him, you would be treated wdth as 
much respect as if you were the President, and in place 
of considering you as an old man that needed nui'sing, 



370 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

jou would require tlie stamina and vigor of youth to 
undergo the round of pleasure-seeking he would insist 
upon. 

Pbeceptob. — Truly, I must commend his taste and know- 
ledo-e of wine. I never drank better than this, and the 
aroma and peach flavor combined is above praise. This 
will completely spoil me from enjoying what we ordinarily 
get, and 1 am incUned to think you have happened on the 
very best bottle there is. From finding my taste similar 
to the hon vivants of my acquaintance, my award can be 
accepted, as in all probability, just ; and while I do not 
want you to neglect the donor's advice in keeping the 
bottles always in sight, never set this before an^ one unless 
you are sure he will appreciate it. It would be a great 
pity that a drop should be wasted by going down the 
throats of those who cannot tell New Jersey cider from 
Johannesberger, or who fancy the odor of "Night Blooming 
Cereus" is equal to the perfume of the violet. I anticipate 
great pleasure in meeting those of your Western friends, 
who prove the falsity of the idea of "out of sight, out of 
mind," and whose care of your comfort when away will 
be sm^e warrant of a warm welcome when we get on your 
old stamping ground. 

Pupil. — I will say nothing more of Western character 
and habits, for fear I may over-estimate them, and do 
injury by causing you to look for perfections, that their 
universal kindness to me may be the means of my over- 
coloring. Still, I will wager everything I own against a 
boy's top, that, for genuine hospitality, warm fi-iendships, 
and a desire to make every one who comes in their sphere 
happy, Western people cannot be excelled, and those who 
have a fondness for the horse, racers and trotters, are the 
very perfection of even Western manhood. 

Preceptor. — We ended the conversation, when I waa 
liere before, by a few remarks on watering horses in train- 



ABOUT WATEE. 371 

ing. We will reconsider it previous to going to the stable. 
The quantity of this fluid should be as closely scrutinized 
as that of the food we give, and from the very clearest 
holding matter in solution that is detrimental, there is 
danger in giving water, containing these properties, even 
if aware of it, and using something to correct the bad 
effect. Rain, river and spring water are the kinds in use 
for horses. The first, if it receives no admixture from the 
roof that collects, or the receptacle that receives it, is 
pure. This fact has led many to believe that it is superior 
to others for horses in training. Without absolutely deny- 
ing that to be the case, I am led to believe that "harder" 
water may be equally as good, and perhaps better in some 
instances. When we find the osseous framework of the 
horse is composed of material which water sometimes 
holds in solution, and which the animal has to obtain from 
the food it gets, may not the structure be easier built, or 
wants repaired, by a proportion of the necessary material 
being contained in the drink ? 

I have seen horses in like good condition when trained 
either on soft or hard water, and more danger arises in a 
sudden change fi'om the kind accustomed to, if even the 
change is to that of a better quality, the system having 
adapted itself to the kind in use. This is so well known 
that we frequently see a supi^ly of water taken with a 
horse, when the conveyance has been a good deal of 
expense and trouble ; and this is often used as a very 
strong argument in favor of rain water. If cisterns were built 
by the various tracks, the drink would be identical, and 
the danger of a change done away with. I have found in 
my practice that, when circumstances compelled me to a 
change, all danger was obviated by adding a handful of 
linseed meal, gradually decreasing it as the use of the 
new kind was continued. I can hardly give satisfactory 
reasons why this result should be, only that the mucilage 



372 HOESE POETRAITUEE. 

defends the stomacli from the corrosion of foreign matter, 
and thus neutraHzes its effects. Water is benefited bj? 
being exposed to the sun and air, and when using fi-om 
close wells or covered cisterns, I alway allow it to stand 
long enough to change, and approach nearer the tempe- 
rature of the atmosphere. The temperature of the water 
is also of importance, and while at times that of the blood is 
the proper heat, there are others when it will not do to be 
the least tepid, but must be regulated to what will benefit 
the horse to drink. The acidulating of water by the use of 
the best tartaric acid, I have found beneficial, as in the 
case of sweating to guard against fever; and some horses 
acquiring a fondness for the taste of it, will drink when 
they otherwise would not touch a drop. This is an advan- 
tage in the case of light feeders, as they are generally 
horses that drink but very little, and if we can coax them 
to imbibe more fluid, their appetite will be increased in a 
proportinate ratio, and better condition result. 

The amount that each horse can be restricted to can 
only be told by careful experiment, and the mean between 
an inordinate drinker, and one whose thirst seems easily 
satisfied, would be a proper mark to giiide us. I have 
ound in both cases that frequent watering is the best plan. 
With those that would drink too much, I only put into 
the bucket the amount they are to have, and not being 
allowed to distend themselves, they soon become accus- 
tomed to the restriction. The others will, perhaps, not drink 
at all, unless the bucket is full, and some will not touch 
it unless it is set down, and they can take it unobserved. 
The same caution must be practiced not to have too much 
water in a horse's stomach before his fast work is given, as 
not to fill it with grain and hay. A pailful of water, given 
a httle while before a race, will effectually stop a horse 
from winning, if his competitors are anywhere near him 
in speed. This shows that exertion is impeded, and the 



SPONGING THE MOUTH. 373 

race may not only be lost, but serious injury arise from 
pushing the animal to do, or try to do, more than he can. 

I have spoken of the plan of giving horses water after 
their work, by small quantities at a time, while they are 
walking. In signifying my custom of following another 
plan, I do not decry this entirely, but would follow it 
under certain circumstances, as when delicate horses would 
drink better than if we waited till the expiration of the 
walk. Horses may be very much fatigued after a hard 
race, and require something to support them while they 
are taking their walk, which should always be given till 
the tumult in the blood wholly, or at least j)artially, sub- 
sides. A few swallows of water are very refreshing, but not 
so good as the same quantity of oatmeal gruel; or, should 
a horse be washy, I would use wheat flour, which affords 
nourishment as well as refreshment. We often see a great 
deal of fuss made sponging and washing a horse's mouth 
and nostrils after the scoring has commenced. Some 
grooms pride themselves on the dexterity with which they 
handle the sponge and bucket, and many a greenhorn 
watches the process with a good deal of awe, considering 
it has much to do with the horse's going fast. On a very 
hot day, and when the track is dusty, it is essential to keep 
the mouth fr-om parching, and to remove the dust from the 
nostrils. When these are accompHshed, further swash- 
ings are unnecessary ; and what is needless is wrong. 

We will go to the stable, and as you are getting along 
so well, I think it may be two weeks before I am here 
again. The difference you should observe in sweating the 
Falcon to-morrow from what we practiced with Never 
Mind, is, that you can give him two miles more work, and 
you need not keep up the flow as long as we did with the 
other. The pace may be a httle faster and the clothing 
the same. Jane can be treated the same, using every 
precaution to preserve the tranquillity of her temper. The 



374: HORSE POETRAITUEE. 

second day after sweating, you can brusli the two horses, 
Never Mind nearly the length of the stretch, and the Fal- 
con two brushes of a couple of hundred yards each, driving 
a half mile at a good round pace between them. Should 
Jane be willing to go quietly at three-quarters speed, you 
can let her go half a mile at that gait, and if you permit 
her to brush at all, stop her the moment she appears exci 
ted. The morning before you give the sweats, you can 
open them according to the former directions I gave. 
With all these instructions from me, there will be a 
great proportion of the work, of which you will have to be 
the judge when you are giving it. But for the ensuing 
two weeks, more danger will arise from giving too much 
fast work than not enough. The slow work can also be 
overdone as well as the other, and you must examine 
strictly to see that there is no swelling or heat in any of 
the joints, or any puffiness above the pasterns or in the 
hocks. Your horses ought to go to their work in a 
cheerful spirit, and should one appear dull, shorten his 
work till you find the amount he will undergo without 
depression. In all of the fast work you give, it will be 
preferable that they do not go at their very topmost rate, 
as I would rather they did not break until they were in 
condition to stand going- quite a distance. Giving horses 
lessons that wiU accustom them to make good breaks, is 
often very tiring and trying to the temper of biped and 
quadruped, and if the horses are in order to take the 
work without the injury these will entail, much wiU be 
gained. 

I judge by the time I have fixed to visit you again, the 
horses wiU bear quite an increase of work, and you can be 
gradually preparing them for that event, by giving them 
what you deem necessary, and by enlarging the feed of 
those that you think wiU require it. In making additions 
to the feed, add to the ten o'clock and to the last in the 



LESSONS IN BEEAKING. 375 

evening. The feeds occuring before the work, cannot be 
materially enlarged, without causing over-fullness in the 
stomach just when required to go fast. Clipper should be 
ready for his first sweat by the time I come back, and you 
need make no change in his preparation from that of Never 
Mind, with this variation, of not giving quite so much 
walk, which his legs would not stand without injury. I 
have mentioned that I would prefer them not to break 
for a time yet, and the only way you can keep them from 
doing that, is to leave quite a margin between the pace 
you go and their best rate. Horses will break when not 
near up to their fastest gait. Yet you will find them easier 
controlled, than when hurried off their legs by endeavor- 
ing to have them trot faster than they can. I have known 
many horses that would "jump up" when going moder- 
ately fast, that were honest as could be when going at full 
speed. The great part of the education of trotters is to 
teach them to go without breaking, and when they do 
break, to be able to recover therefrom without the loss of 
much ground. These lessons however, must be ' given as 
much as is possible when the body is in condition to 
endure extra fatigue; and, necessary as they are, we shall 
gain by waiting until we can give them safely. These re- 
marks will only apply to the old horses. With the colts, now 
is the time to teach them a good system of breaking. The 
first lessons are of great importance, and if you succeed 
in making good breakers of them now, it will take 
very bad handing hereafter to spoil them in this re- 
spect. 

Every morning before you commence work, examine 
critically the condition of the horses' feet. Observe if they 
stand squarely on them in the stable, and see that there 
are no loose shoes, clinches raised, or breaking of the 
horn. The replacing of a broken nail may save a shoe 
coming off, and, perhaps, tearing part of the foot with 



376 HOKSE POETKAITURE. 

it. Notice tlie boys when they are cleaning out the dirt 
from the sole, frog, and under the shoe. The less they 
use the foot hook, the better, depending on the water 
and brush to clean out the fissiu-es between the bar and 
the frog, and the clefts between the bulbs of it. Tear- 
ing away at the foot with the picker interferes with the 
healthy state of the sole, which I find is better by leav- 
ing is as much undisturbed as we can, and the ragged 
portions of the frog, which the boys are so anxious to pull 
off, cannot be removed without bringing with them parts 
that ought to remain. 

Pupil. — How would you arrive at the correct knowledge 
of the quantity of water a horse ought to have, in one 
that was inclined to di-ink too much, and had to be re- 
stricted ? 

Pkeceptoe. — By gradually decreasing the amount ; and 
as long as he looked and fed well, there could be no injury. 
But if the restriction produced a decline of appetite, it 
would show that the system required more fluid than he 
was getting, and the quantity would have to be increased. 
Habit has a great deal to do with this, as in everything else, 
and the force of custom alone may lead a horse to drink 
more than he needs. "When the plan is followed of allow- 
ing horses to drink from a trough in a yard, or a running 
stream or pond, the amount of water can be only guessed 
at, and is a way of proceding that I do not favor. When 
adopted, the capacity of swallowing ought to be found out 
by observing the number of swallows a horse takes in 
drinking a certain quantity of water, so that we can tell 
about what he has taken when thus watered. There is a 
great difference in the swallowing capacity among horses. 
Some of them will empty a three-gallon bucket in 
forty swallows, while others will require seventy or eighty 
"go downs" for the same amount. As in the case of ring 
watering, I would only allow a horse to drink fr-om a 



DEPAETURE. 377 

trough, stream, or pond, when he could not be induced to 
drink as well from the pail. This remark, of course only 
applies to those who do not drink water enough, and re- 
quire to be humored to induce them to take it. 

I will now take my depature, having full confidence that 
on my return I will find your horses looking and doing 
well, should no accident happen to interfere with your 
Dianasremeut. 



CHAPTEE XXYI. 

CUTTrNG THE QUARTERS — APPEARANCE OP HORSES WHEN Dl 

CONDITION — THE MODEL FORM FOR A HORSE — THE BRAIN 

THE GREAT RESERVOIR OF POWER. 

Preceptor. — Wliy ! what is the matter ? Tou have as 
rueful a look as the Knight of the Sorrowful Coun- 
tenance. 

Pupil. — ^I have met with the first bad luck I have had 
this season. Never Mind has cut his quarter badly. 

Preceptor. — It would have been a great deal worse il 
he had struck his knee. It is rather a bad wound, and I 
am surprised he could do it with the shoes he is wearing. 
Get some strong Hnen or cotton cloth, and tear it into 
strips, a couple of inches wide. Hand me that bottle of 
fir-balsam, and we will see if we cannot repair the dam- 
age. AVash the wound out clean with tepid water. Now 
we will draw it close together, and, after applying- the 
bandages for two or three thicknesses, cover them with the 
balsam, again wrapping them over the coronet until we get 
several folds, which will completely exclude the air and 
moisture. The flesh of a horse, in tbe condition that 
Never Mind now is, will heal very readily, and I should 
not be surprised if this heals by the first intention, as the 
doctors term it. I have had worse cuts than this get well 
more rapidly than I would have thought possible, by treat- 
ing them after this simple method. An impervious coating 
is formed that protects the cut from dust and dirt; and nine 
times in ten, if applied as soon as the injury is done, it 



BAD SHOEING. 379 

will not suppurate, and the horse's work go on the same 
as if he had not been hurt. You will have to watch that 
suppuration does not take place, as, in that case, there 
will have to be an outlet for the matter. You will detect 
it from increased heat in the foot, and the horse exhibit- 
ing pain when you touch it. If this 'does not occur, the 
bandage must not be disturbed, until time enough has 
elapsed for the cure to take place. How did it occur ? I 
was in hopes to have got home before you had driven him, 
as I wanted to see how he was going ; though, from hav- 
ing been away longer than I intended, I presume you 
thought I had forsaken you entirely. 

Pupil. — I have missed you very much, though I have 
had extraordinary good fortune tiU this accident took 
place. I was repeating a brush I had given him of a 
quarter of a mile, or such matter. In the first, he came 
down the stretch very fast, when I let him go a three- 
minute gait tiU he came to the three-quarter pole again, 
and on clucking to him, he burst off at a tremendous pace 
— I am confident it was fast enough to trot in twenty or 
better — when he made a wild break. I snatched him 
rather short, and the consequence was that cut. 

Peeceptok. — Pick up his off hind foot; the shoe must 
have got out of shape to inflict so much damage, as I never 
saw the shoe he is wearing do more than bruise the quar- 
ter. How is this ? What are those large-headed nails in 
for? 

Pupil. — The shoe got a little loose, and in place of send- 
ing him to the shop, I pulled out the nails, one at a time, 
and replaced them by driving these in the same holes. I 
thought, as all his shoes would need replacing in a few 
days, I would make it do till he was shod all around. 

Preceptor. — I hope this will be a lesson to you, that, if 
you contemplate shoeing your horses, you will first learn 
to be a blacksmith, and then provide yourself with proper 



380 HOESE PORTEAITURE. 

tools. It is great fortune that the injuiy has not been 
more serious than it is. I would have imagined that, 
when you saw these nails sticking out hke the calkins of 
a cart horse, you would have taken the rasp and filed 
them off. 

Pupil. — The rasp had become worn, so that the job 
would have been very tedious. But I will engage that 
this lesson will be remembered, and if I ever drive a nail 
in a horse's foot again, I will observe due caution that the 
head does not arise above the fuller in the shoe. I am 
very glad that your visit came so apropos, as the balsam 
dressing is new to me, and I should have bound it up with 
a solution of copperas and whiskey. 

Pbeceptob. — That is a capital application for ordinary 
flesh wounds in a horse, and I am not acquainted with 
anything better, though for a recent injury to the coronet, 
we want something that will support, and keep the parts 
in adhesion. Tou must have commenced early this morn- 
ing if you are done driving all, except the colts, at this 
time of the day. I do not approve of taking horses out 
too early, and would much rather that the sun should be 
up long enough to dissipate the vapors that collect during 
the night. 

Pupil. — For the last week the weather has been so warm 
that I have begun earher than we formerly practiced, so 
as to have the older horses done up before the heat of the 
day. I have driven the Falcon first, and I think he 
enjoys the early breath of the morning, and will welcome 
the sun as it makes its first appearance over the hills, by 
signs of delight as unmistakable as though he had the 
power of expressing his thoughts in words. However, I 
will defer taking him out in future tiU the sun's rays fall 
more askant. Should you be inclined to listen, I will re- 
count what I have done for the three weeks you have been 
gone. 



APPEARAN"CE WHEK IN COKDITION". 381 

Peegeptob. — I will liear your story shortly. lu the mean- 
time I want to pay a visit to the Falcon, and tender him 
my regards. I will stay with you until after the horses 
are all worked to-morrow, when I can give a better idea 
of how they have done, than by looMng at them in the 
stalls. This noble fellow is certainly looking as well as he 
could. There is an elastic, firm feeling, when you put 
your hand on him, that shows his condition is more for- 
ward than the length of time he has been in training 
would lead one to expect. His skin is as phant as the 
best chamois leather, and the bloom on his coat betokens 
that his health is prime. It would take very close ex- 
amination to detect that he is not in the best condition, as 
to the hand the muscles appear well seasoned, and he has 
not more flesh than I think he ought to carry. The crest 
is a little thick yet, and the muscles are hardly as distinct 
as they will be after a few more sweats, given with fast 
work. These will fine away the material, now partially 
hiding them, when he will show a covering that will emul- 
ate spring steel in its density, and quickness of recoil 
when the contraction takes place. 

It is extremely difficult to determine, from the appear- 
ance of a horse, what his condition is. It is true that 
horses in condition have a similarity of appearance, though 
condition may seem to be there, without the cor- 
responding capacity to perform. The trainer, who knows 
the amount of work the horse has received, is the best 
judge, and even his calculations are oftentimes erroneous, 
as the result of many a race has proven. One thing he 
should be "better posted" on than any one else is, the 
amount of flesh the horse ought to carry, and he must not 
allow his judgment to be changed by the criticism of any 
one, no matter how able he may be, if he is not thorough- 
ly conversant with the character of the horse before him. 

When horses are in condition, they should, in a great 
17 



382 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

majority of cases, have a blooming coat, ev( ry hair in its 
right place, glossy and shining like the feathers on a 
pigeon's neck. The muscles should be prominent, and, being 
handled, feel hard and springy. The skin should be loose, 
so that you can pull it away from the liesh for quite a dis- 
tance, but, when released from the grasp, fly back Hke a 
piece of rubber. The interstices between the muscles 
should show distinctly, which gives that cordy appearance, 
like a cable made of wire. The legs should be free from 
swelling, cool, and the tendons hard, with a sharp outline. 
The joints should be divested of everything but bone and 
tendon, the skin on them loose, but firm. The neck is a 
great guide in determining condition, and though the 
large muscles running from the shoulder to the poll have 
nothing to do with progression, the state they are in ^vill 
be a guide to aid us in arriving at the condition of the 
other parts. The windpipe should be detached, with noth- 
ing to hide the view of it, to where it enters the chest. 
Near the joining of the head it ought to hang loose, show- 
ing three-quarters of its circumference. The muscles of 
the neck should be clearly defined, and the upper one that 
forms the crest, should rise to a shai-p edge, and be as 
hard as a cut nail. This sharpness arises fi'om the ab- 
sorption of the fatty matter that lies immediately below 
the mane. 

The great index, however, is the eye, and though the 
horse may have all the appearance of condition that I have 
imperfectly noted, if the eye be dull, or give fitful flashes 
of animation in the excitement of coming on to the track, 
he will surely not be able to do what he ought to. It is 
very hard to describe the ai^pearance of the eye of a horse 
when in prime condition, as the natural expression varies 
as much as those of the human family, and we will have 
to be well acquainted with each individual, to avail our- 
selves of this as a criterion. I never saw a horse that the 



APPEARANCE OF THE EYE. 383 

brilliancy of the eye was not heightened by proper train- 
ing. It may not show as much briskness, as there is a 
placid look acquired which might deceive you at the first 
glance ; but as you look again, there is no glassy, unmean- 
ing stare, and you look down into the clear depths till you 
cannot but resolve that such an organ must belong to 
more than ah animal, and that it is a token of a being 
endowed with that reason, which we haughtily arrogate 
as only belonging to man. When the horse is led up to 
start in a race, this placid look is changed to one as deter 
mined as ever flashed fi-om beneath the brow of ancient 
knight, attempting deeds that would either heighten his 
renown to that of the great Arthur himself, or consign him 
to an honorable grave. A fuming, fretty horse, that rears, 
pitches, and refuses to come to the score when the time to 
start has been signaled, has rarely the look I have at- 
attempted to describe. He is either frightened at the 
remembrance of unmerited punishment, or is so sore from 
over or injudicious work, that he does not like to start. 
I have interrupted the recital of your three-weeks' work 
longer than I meant, and was led into the remarks I have 
been making, from the appearance of the Falcon, showing, 
as he does, better order than the length of time he has 
been in training would warrant. 

Pupil. — The day after you left, I gave him the sweat he 
was prepared for. I drove him the next day the usual 
distance, as I knew from former experience that no de- 
bihty would follow in his case. The following day I drove 
him the same distance, allowing him to brush down the 
stretch, and he came rattling along without attempting to 
break. I varied his work as you directed, driving him on 
the road two or three times a week. I generally drove 
him five miles oiit, coming back at a good round j)ace. 
The track work has been faster and shorter than you in- 
tended, as, from the anxiety he manifested to get along, he 



384 HOKSE PORTKAITURE. 

would go more quietly at a three-miuute clip than when 
driven slower. I have sweated him every week, and in- 
creased his feed to tweve quarts of the mixed hominy and 
oats. The last week I have made his brushes longer, and 
he has given me very little trouble breaking, always re- 
covering the trot of his own accord. In his sweats, I have 
used less clothing, and driven him faster than any of the 
others. I confined the wrappings in the last one from the 
loins forward, as I thought his quarters did not need 
further reduction, 

Peeceptok. — That his work has been proper his looks 
testify, and I find that I was right in predicting that he 
would be got into condition very easily. His form and 
everything pertaining to his " make-up " are so favorable 
for speed, that whatever is detrimental is easy of removal. 
You were right in not covering his loins and quarters, and 
I am of the opinion that hereafter his neck and belly will 
only need clothing, the other portions of his body getting 
into order without the aid of clothes. 

Pupil. — Never Mind I have also sweated three times 
since you were here, and I have been increasing his work, 
not so much as the Falcon, yet, I am afraid, a little more 
than was advisable. I have walked him the day after 
each sweat, and on the following day allowed him to brush 
from three to five hundred yards, occasionally repeating 
it. The morning before sweating, I have also "moved 
him," and in the last week I permitted him to go a forty 
gait once round the track. He was getting a little nervous 
and flighty, and I thought an increase of work might 
sober him without being otherwise prejudicial. 

Preceptor. — Being convinced of an error is the siu'est 
sign of amendment. His nervousness and flighty demean- 
or were, no doubt, occasio)ied by the exercise being more 
than was proper, and you fell into the very common mis- 
take of attributing it to want of work. He had become 



NEVEK MIND AKD JANE. 385 

somewliat sore in the muscles, and thougli his high tem- 
per induced him to burst off when the reins were loosened, 
the trot was painful to him, which he sought to relieve by 
breaking into a gait that would exercise the muscles in a 
different direction, and thus afford him relief. When he 
broke, you should have given him his head for a short 
distance, talking soothingly to quiet him, when he might 
have taken to trotting again himself; or, if he did not, if 
you had puUed him directly back, in place of snatching 
him to one side, he in all likelihood would never have 
touched his quarter. You have not reduced him more 
than he ought to have shrunk, in the length of time that 
has elapsed since his first sweat. For the present, we will 
confine liis fast work to once a week, and, by jogging him 
further, accomplish the necessary exercise, and allow the 
soreness to subside. We will have the outside of the track 
harrowed till it is quite deep, and you can give him all 
the work on that part, making his brushes corresponding- 
ly shorter. How about Jane ? I am anxious to hear of 
her doings. She certainly looks well, and from the further 
diminution of the enlargement on her knee, I would judge 
she does not brush it anj more. 

Pupil. — Jane has performed admirably. I have also 
been working her as much as I dare. She has gone 
through the same number of sweats as the Falcon, and 
has never become irritated in the least. I have not " taken 
her by the head " for as speedy a brush as the others have 
had, though I have let her stride along at a good round 
gait. I had proposed to drive her as fast as I could to- 
morrow, and, if you think it is best, will do so. You can 
then judge better how she ought to be handled hereafter. 

Peegeptoe. — It will be proper, as she is in condition to 
undergo it; and as we can never win races without going 
fast, it is time that all of those which we intend to employ 
in trotting races should give us a taste of their quality. 



386 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

There is nothing like an actual race in training trotters. 
Exercise, as we give it daily, is a necessary probationary 
stage ; but the teachings of one race are oftentimes 
worth more than a month's training, and the condition 
benefited in the same proportion. It wiU not be long, 
now, before we will put them to this practical test ; and as 
the trotting-meetiug advertised will take place in a month, 
we must have some of them ready to win, if they can. 
Now for your report of this grey feUow, who is looking 
rather coarse compared with the rest. 

Pupil. — His work has, so far, been slow only. I have 
been softening him for a sweat, which I intended to give 
in a day or two. His legs, you see, are still improving, 
and none of the colts feel better than he does now. I 
have jogged him from four to six miles a day, and he has 
only walked half the time the others did. He appears to 
wonder that he is never called on to go fast when on the 
track, and, at first, would become excited whenever he 
was turned around on it. I think he is beginning to 
have a more favorable opinion of the graded oval, and the 
kind treatment proves a specific for him, as well as for 
Jane. 

Peeceptoe. — With the great amount of speed I have 
heard he possesses, it well be worth all our care to in- 
duce him to forget his former ill usage. A gentleman, 
who knew him when a colt, informs me that he was 
superior to Jno. Morgan in that point, which is recom- 
mendation enough to those who knew the chestnut in his 
palmy days. He is progressing as favorably as we can 
look for, though I still fear the effects of fast work on his 
legs, and I am inclined to think the firing iron and a 
winter's run will be necessary, before we can depend on 
their standing. The young ones I will see you drive after 
dinner. I must own that another moiety of your friend's 
sherry will be very acceptable, and you must be aware 



AT DINNER. 387 

tliat my business lias been very urgent, when all the 
attractions you have here could not be attended to till now. 

Pupil. — Won't you try a modicum of brandy, as an 
appetizer before dinner ? or, here is some bitters that I 
will warrant superior to "old plantation," with all the 
cabaUstic sigr^s ever painted on an astrologer's tressel- 
board, to assist it to attract attention. 

Pbecepxoe. — No: I thank you for the offer ; but it is 
very rare that I drink anything before meals, and nearly 
as seldom that I drink at all before dinner. When you 
see me eat, you wiU admit that I do not need a provoca- 
tive ; and repletion is not only injurious to the health, but 
the flavor of the sherry, and the aroma of the segar, can- 
not be so highly enjoyed when the stomach is loaded. 

I have not eaten a meal that pleased me so well as this 
we have just partaken, since I have been away; and, though 
some have been eaten at the headquarters of gastronom- 
ical science, I must award the palm to this. By the way, 
the port and sherry that I took fi'om your supply was 
pronounced of the first quality by those who are accredited 
with being the best judges in the country. I was anxious 
to learn, if I had formed a proper estimate, as I thought 
it superior to any I had ever di'ank. Now, if you will 
" be shoving " one of those Principes to me I will freely 
forgive your friend for denominating me " the old man," 
sincerely hoping that he may hve tiU he is old — but not 
old enough to find life a burden. 

Pupil. — Never fear — as he would say — ^potheen will al- 
ways have the flavor, and he will feel young as long as he 
has a friend to benefit. You promised to teU me at some 
future time, why you considered the form of the Falcon a 
model of the best for road purposes ; and if not too much 
trouble, I would like to hear the reasons now. 

Pkeceptor. — I will be pleased to acquaint you ; and 
though there have been things that I could not satisfac- 



388 HOKSE POKTEAITUKE. 

torily account for, as the effects of different kinds of food, 
&c., the advantages of a certain form can be proved on 
mechanical principles. Considering the bony fi-amework 
of the horse as a machine, that is set in motion by the 
action of the muscles, it is very important that their force 
should be applied in a manner that will effect a certain 
result with the least expenditui'e of power. The loin, 
quarters, and hind legs are the seat of the propelhng force. 
While I have no faith in reducing the form of the horse to 
a mathematical problem, calculating by a series of angles 
the extent of stride a certain configuration will give, there 
is still an adaj)tabihty of the parts found in a great 
majority of good horses. The exceptions only prove the 
necessity of a form approximating the model ; for though 
we find some points of a good performer not in accord- 
ance with this principle, we will discover a counteracting 
force that overcomes the obstacle. Because EngUsh 
EcHpse had a short, thick shoulder, we must not flatter 
ourselves that, as our favorite has the same defect, it is not 
an injury. The powerful quarters that overcame this 
serious defect in the Eclipse are rarely found ; and though 
the Enghsh champion had strength enough in these to 
overbalance the resistance of the heavy shoulder, it would 
retard a horse of ordinary power, till he would be useless 
as a racer. 

The hind legs are joined to the body by the upper part 
of the femur being articulated with the pelvis, the joint 
forming the connection. The length of that part of the 
pelvis, which is termed the ileum, constitutes what we 
call length of hip. In the Falcon, this is of more than 
ordinary length, which is an advantage in giving more 
room for the attachment of the muscles that exert their 
force from this region. A level hip is generally looked 
upon with the most favor, as the form which will give 
greater power to the muscles joined to th-f- femur; but I 



THE BEST FOKM FOR A TROTTER. 389 

am inclined to think tliat a slight declivity is better, by 
lengthening the limb this much, and thereby giving a 
greater reach in the stride. Too much obhquity is a 
deformity that loses this advantage, by the femur forming 
too obtuse an angle with the ileum, and, consequently, a 
waste of the force applied. The length of the femur, or 
the bone that reaches from the upper joint to the stifle, is 
also of importance, not only giving better attachment for 
the muscles, but placing the stifle where it will not be 
impeded in its motions by the abdomen. The next bone 
— the tibia — extending from the stifle to the hoclc, forms 
just the right angle in the Falcon to please me. It is 
oblique enough to place the hock at the proper position 
with the body. "When he stands iu a natural manner, a 
line dropped from the point of the buttock will fall a trifle 
in front of the point of the hock. This increases his stride, 
without diminishing the force that the muscles exert. 

His hock is superb, being both wide and deep. This 
joint has probably as much to do with fast motion as any 
other in the fi'ame. From its being the seat of lameness, 
in nine cases in ten, of the hind extremities, we will 
rightly infer that any weakness in its construction is soon 
manifest. By being large, the tendons form strong attach- 
ments, guarding against strains, and by the posterior bony 
process — the os calcos — ^being long, the tendon, which we 
call the hamstring, has the advantage of working on a 
longer lever, doing the business easier, and proi:)eIling it 
fui'ther in advance than it could, if this were shortened. 
The length of this bone also gives the wide gaskin, uni- 
versally recognized as a mark of speed. Looking at the 
cannon bone from behind, you would think it was too 
long; but as you step into a position to take a side view, 
you find it to be very short, and the term " well let down 
in the hocks " can be apphed to Falcon with truth. Long 
from the point of the hock to the pastern, measuring 

17* 



390 HOKSE PORTRAITURE. 

down the tendon, and short from the joint, when follow- 
ing the metatarsal bone, is the true configuration; and I 
never saw a horse that excelled him in this particular. 
The pasterns I like to be of good length, in order that 
there may be elasticity enough to give freedom to the 
joints in the foot, adding a little to the ground covered 
by the hind legs; and as every inch gained in the stride is 
an object to be looked after, this form of the pastern is 
the jDroper one. The quality of the muscular covering to 
the bones we cannot arrive at, though I am inchned to 
think there is not the difierence in them in horses of 
greater or less speed, as in the manner in which they act, 
which is determined by the position of the bones. Thus 
their greater force of action, which enables an animal to 
stride from two to five feet further with the same outlay 
of power, is due to their being placed in a position where 
their contractions and expansions exert a greater force. 
These wiry, tendinous masses that are so apparent in the 
Falcon, may exist in an inferior animal ; but, owing to 
their being placed in a wrong position, or encumbered by 
matter that is a hindance to their motion, they cannot act 
with the same effect. 

The broad, arched loin is a mark of strength; and while 
a horse that is slack there may have a gi-eat deal of speed, 
it is seldom coupled with endurance. There is consider- 
able motion at this point, owing to the flexibility of the 
backbone; and I always like to see this flexibility aj)parent. 
I do not mean the scringing motion a horse makes, on 
pinching him, indicating soreness, but a kind of swaying 
movement in the walk, which most race horses display. 
As you stand squarely behind the Falcon, the muscles 
are developed in harmony with each other. Those 
on the upper thigh and gaskin are proportioned right, 
while the inner ones have the same equilibi'ium. They 
are long, not covering the tendons, as it were, but merged 



falcon's form. 391 

into them by degrees. In taking this rear view, we see 
the ribs forming a curve, which is not hidden by the 
quarters, showing that he is good in the carcase or middle 
piece. This gives room for the internal viscera that are 
situated back of the diaphragm ; also giving that impor- 
tant muscle room to assist in respiration. His body is that 
of an elliptical truncated cone, the base at the point I 
have just mentioned, and the apex where the neck is 
joined to it. This conformation gives him great depth 
through the heart, and is much better than if more cylin- 
di-ical, as the expansion of the chest is greater than if 
circular. If the chest were a circle, there could be no 
expansion, while with this form the dilatation is sometimes 
so great as to burst the girth that confines the saddle. 
The high and broad shoulder-blade drops back towards 
the sway, till the distance between it and the anterior 
part of the pelvis is very short, in comparison to his 
whole length. This gives the proper angle with the upper 
arm, permitting the legs to be thrown forward much 
more than they could be if it were short and upright. 

The elbow-joint is parallel with the body. In our former 
conversation I dwelt at some length on the necessity for 
this joint being thus truly placed, any divergence interfer- 
ing with the action. The sloping shoulder not only gives 
greater stride, but the concussion is less, which is also im- 
portant. ^Vhen the weight of a horse's body is propelled 
with the rapidity which the well-formed quarters and hind 
legs give, there must be some contrivance to lessen the jar. 
Thus we see the hind legs are joined to the frame, and 
tied to it by powerfiil muscles and sinews, but the fore 
legs receiving at least three-quarters of the weight, could 
not be so attached without danger of knocking the ma- 
chine to pieces. Elastic cushions are placed between the 
shoulder-blades and the body, and the spring formed by 
the angular position the humerus and scapula assume 



392 HOESE POETEAITUEE. 

further giiards it. Length in the fore arm is as essential, or 
more so, than in the corresponding bone in the hind leg. 
It gives greater leverage, and enables the animal to cover 
more ground in the stride. The large broad knee is nearly 
indispensable to a fast horse, by giving more room for a 
proper fastening of the tendons. 

Many hold that a small knee is the proper formation. 
Examine Kentucky, Norfolk, or Asteroid, and I will war- 
rant all three of them have broad, lathy knees. The bone 
that projects from the back part of the knee should be 
large and prominent. The back muscle is attached to this 
by the tendon, and of course is more firmly bound to it 
than if it were smaller. I have heard horses, with the tra- 
pezium very prominent, called "cut away below the knee," 
when theu- legs could not have been bettered. The knee 
lias a very important duty to peform in a trotter, and 
unless a horse has the proper action in it, or acquires it, 
he will never be likely to go fast. I have also heard people 
vind fault with a broad knee in a harness horse, arguing 
*hat he would be more likely to strike it than if smaller. 
Che position of the limb has more to do with this than 
' he size of the joints, and where the legs are straight, 
'ailing fi'om the body as truly as those of the Falcon, it 
will take very bad handling to endanger them. A short 
cannon is the usual accompaniment of a long fore arm. 
The Hgaments and tendons that convey the motion from 
the muscles have an important duty to perform. They 
should be large, giving the leg the flat appearance so de- 
sirable, and no inequalities should be perceivable to the 
eye, or be felt as the hand is passed down them. Their 
size renders them less Hable to strains, or rupture of the 
delicate membrane that covers them, and a round, fair- 
sized pastern-joint gives them a betier fastening. The 
long, springy pastern is of fully as much advantage in the 
fore legs as in the hind, giving, as I said before, more free- 



THE BRAIN THE SEAT OF POWER. 393 

dom of motion to tlie lower pastern and navicular joints, 
and acting as an additional spring, to preserve those deli- 
cate articulations from injuiy by concussion. The round, 
medium-sized foot, with proper strength of horn, we 
have discussed before. While the neck has nothing to do 
with progression, a proper form is requisite ; this we also 
noticed in our conversation on sweating. 

The great reservoir of power is the brain, and, confident 
as I am that it has more to do with making the successful 
trotter or race horse the superior of his compeers, than 
either osseous or muscular formation, yet, as it is not in 
as tangible a form, I speak of it with delicacy, the fact 
being incapable of demonstration, and only to be ascer- 
tained by inference. For instance, we have seen horses of 
perfect frame, whose bodies were a type of ninety in a 
hundred that have shown themselves possessed of speed 
and endurance, their condition perfect, and brought to the 
post by those who could manage them in the best man- 
ner, yet not worth, as racers, the last feed of oats they eat. 
Again, we have known instances of the utter prostration 
of strength from the fumes of a substance that could not 
possibly injury the stomach, but which acted at once on 
the brain and nerves. I am acquainted with a man who 
travels over the country every spring castrating colts. He 
never "throws them," merely putting a twitch on their 
nose, on which he has rubbed something, which he also 
causes them to smell. They never move while he is per- 
forming this painful operation. I ascribed it to the twitch, 
and laughed at him for deluding people with the idea 
that the smelling had any influence. A veterinary siu'geon, 
a graduate of the Royal CoJlege, was of the same opinion, 
and attempted the operation with only the aid of the 
twitch. At the first stroke of the knife the colt kicked him 
over, and became perfectly unmanageable. A few snufis 
from the bottle, and he stood without moving a muscle 



394 HOESE PORTRAITUEE. 

nutil the job was ended, and the clamps put on. Wallfing 
off like a man in a dream, I took the vial, and though cau- 
tioned by the man not to smell it, I was anxious to see if 
I could detect any of the ingredients. A terrible head- 
ache was the result. It was generally remarked that the 
horses he had operated on never had as much spirit 
afterwards as those treated after the common method. 

If motion can be paralyzed thus quickly by something 
acting on the brain, why should there not be a difference 
in power transferred thence to the muscles ? We will to 
move our arm, and the motion is performed without our 
being able to know how it has been done. At times we 
are aware of having more power than at others, and can- 
not account for it, unless by crediting the brain with aiig- 
menting the muscular force. I am so confident that this 
is the great source of motive force, that I always anxiously 
look for the signs that make it manifest to the eye. I do 
not mean to be understood that this lessens the neces- 
sity for proper conformation, but that it must be united 
with it to form the truly valuable animal. How will you 
determine it from the appearance ? is a very j)ertinent ques- 
tion ; and I am afi'aid I will not be able to answer it as 
satisfactorily as I could wish. To deduce, from Cranios 
copy, the peculiarities and qualifications of mankind, has 
been the pursuit of some of the most gifted of the human 
family. They have divided and mapped the skull, locat- 
ing to a specific point what they considered the fountain- 
head of feeling, taste, and adaptability for certain pur- 
suits. They base this knowledge upon the examination 
of the heads of men who have been celebrated or no- 
torious for the possession of quahties that made them 
eminent, and, from prominences found more marked than 
the generality of the family, argTie that this portion of the 
brain gave such a preponderance. 

I have in this spirit studied the head of the horse, and 



EVIDENCE OF LAKGE BRAIN. 395 

without believing a great deal in the science of bumps, am 
satisfied that close observation will detect this nerve force 
from the shape of the head, and the expression of the eye 
and ear. The brain must be large; and, to contain this 
large brain, the head enveloping it must be large in the 
cerebral region. A simply large head may not have a great 
capacity for the brain, on account of the size being lower 
than where it is situated. Now Lexington has a large 
head, but its volume is much the greatest at the seat of 
the brain. I saw him led out of the door of a railway 
car, and as he protuded Lis muzzle, he had the appearance 
of a striped squirrel with his pouches full of nuts ; wide 
between and above the eyes, with a corresponding width 
at the upper part of the lower jaw, and tapering thence 
both ways, toward the muzzle, by being scooped out, as if 
cut with a chisel, and from the jowl and toward the poll, 
by a gradual drawing in of the lines of curvature, till 
reaching the ears, which are set not too far apart. The 
expression of the eye is, if anything, a surer test ; but to 
describe the pecuharity that betokens a resolute will, is a 
hard task. A person will acquire the power of seeing it, by 
frequently examining this organ in horses that he knows 
are distinguished for unconquerable game. No one, who 
expects to become a judge of the " good points " of a horse, 
should neglect any opportunity of perfecting himself in 
the power to detect the different dispositions from the 
glance of the eye. The shades of expression are so varied, 
that, if even I could make myself intelhgible, it would take 
more time than we can now spare. 

A proper form is usually accompanied with proper 
action. There are exceptions, however, perhaps arising 
from local causes, modifying the gait, that should be as 
unexceptional as the form. From the feet not being looked 
after when the animal was growing, there may have been 
a shght bias which cannot be seen, yet still affects the 



396 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

action, or the foot has had an irregular bearing from the 
horn wearing unequally, until the colt has acquired a habit 
which the correction of the primary cause does not re- 
move. The natural action, which is susceptible of a far 
greater change by education than many would think, is 
nevertheless of the utmost importance. There should be 
energy in all of the paces, especially the trot. I prefer the 
action that is termed " round " to the very high, the last 
better than the dwelling stride that often characterizes 
the horse that covers a good deal of ground at every step. 
In an ruitrained horse, more depends on the action of the 
hind legs than the front ones. Should the hocks be carried 
the right distance apart, and the hind foot thrown far in 
advance of where the fore left its impress, I will undertake 
to leave the supporters to be rolled out of the way, and 
ultimately make a trotter of the animal that is thus 
gaited. 

This conversation could be carried to an unreasonable 
length, expatiating on the best form for a roadster, one 
that is fitted fi'om his configui'ation to draw a reasonable 
load fast ; and I have very shghtly touched where much 
could be said. It may be enough to set the ball m motion 
in your thoughts, and by comparing the form of the best 
animals that come under your observation, you vnll gain 
more knowledge than I could impart in a week's talk. I 
must warn you of the danger of thinking yourself an adept 
in selecting a winner from appearance alone, as the best 
judge of form and condition that ever placed his eye on 
the outline of a racer, is often at fault, and you might find 
yourself in the condition of the mechanical genius who 
was going to discover the Derby winner by mathematical 
principles, which would be an infallible guide. His money 
ran out supporting those he considered of the best form, 
before he became satisfied of the falacy of his test. The 
levers and pulleys were all right, but he had no rule 



LOJTG AISTD SHOET HORSES. 397 

whereby to determine tlie head of steam that was to set 
them in motion. 

Pupil. — I would hke to hear jour ideas of long and 
short horses, which has often puzzled me. "While the 
almost iiniversal idea is, that a horse " as long as a rail " 
is in the best form, I cannot coincide in . that view, which 
is perhaps owing to my limited experience. 

Peegeptok. — We have had two striking illustrations, that 
either form is compatible with a very high rate of speed. 
Flying Childers and EngHsh Eclipse. To have length of 
stride, a horse must have length of body or of hind leg. 
When length of body results from a wide, sloping shoulder, 
a long hip and full quarters, with the middle piece well 
made and strong, I would have no objections to a horse 
that is "very lengthy." Should it arise fi'om a long back 
and slack loin, he might do to run a short distance, but 
would never go far, drag or carry much weight. I am 
better p"'<^ased with a medium length, and when a horse 
measures as much from the point of the shoulder to the 
point of buttock, as he does from the ground to the top of 
his withers, I am satisfied. Should he be one-tenth longer 
than he is high, with the requisites I have heretofore 
spoken of, he would still do. These would form the ex- 
tremes in my judgment, and I would not like a horse to 
fall on either side of these measurements. It is now time 
for you to drive the colts. I am anxious to see how they 
are getting along, as I have been much pleased with their 
performances heretofore. 

Pupil. — I cannot find fault, as they are all improving ; 
and I fancy that every time I ask one of them to go fast, 
he gratifies me by going faster than he has done before. 
The time has worn away till I will have to hurry them up 
to be done in time for the evening walk. 

Pkeceptok. — You would be difficult to please if you were 
not gratified with the promising display your colts make 



398 HOESE PORTRAITUKE. 

The work has evidently been suited to their capacity, as 
they come on to the track as gayly as a fashionable belle 
makes her advent into a ball- room when she is satisfied 
she is looldug more than ordinarily v^ell. Colts should 
always manifest their j)leasure at the prospect of the work 
that is before them. Once get them so sore that every 
movement is made with pain, and you have done more 
injury than months of careful training will repair. There 
is not the necessity for continued long work with them as 
there is with older horses. Teach them to trot by giving 
them short brushes, and never inflicting needless punish- 
ment because they do not break as well as horses that 
have been trotted for years, and they wiU repay you by 
learning with more alacrity, than those that have been 
drilled till the buoyant feelings of youth are lost. If they 
trot fast enough to make it hard labor for them, they are 
much easier to bring into the necessary condition than 
horses that are matui-ed. As I have heretofore remarked, 
they have not so much inside fat, and do not require to be 
" brought as low " as their elders. 

I have often noticed a tendency to overwork those 
horses that are deficient in bottom — working the length 
into them, as the trainers say. Overwork a delicate horse, 
and, my word for it, he will not recuperate in a long time. 
Colts that are tolerably well bred do not suffer a great 
deal of fatigue in trotting an ordinary race : therefore the 
work should not be greater than is adequate to bring them 
into proper form. We will suppose you have a three-year- 
old colt that can trot fast for one of his age ; that he has 
been in regular work for three months, and you expect to 
trot him in races in a month from this time. We will also 
imagine that he is a hearty feeder, and predisposed to 
take on flesh without any curtailment of his work. This 
would necessiate sweating. It is evident that the pohcy 
would be wrong that would follow the same plan that is 



WOEKING COLTS. 399 

required by an older horse : therefore the sweats should not 
be so frequent or so severe. Should he show symptoms of 
his wind not being clear, we would have to increase the 
sweats, not in severity, but by giving them oftener ; and as 
soon as we found that the respiratory organs were not 
impeded, it would be evident that we had gone far enough, 
if even he did look too lusty. We shotild season the flesh 
on him with exercise without clothing, and there would be 
very Httle danger of legweariness when the lungs performed 
their part of the labor aright. Should he prove deficient 
in endurance, there would not be any benefit derived from 
trying to work him enough to remedy this defect, and ii 
would be better to wait, hoping that another year oi 
two's growth, would make him stouter, than to run the 
risk of doing permanent injury. A colt must have con- 
dition, though it is acquired with less fast work than is 
generally thought necessary. 

The little beauty Delle is going to make a trotter as 
sure as you wait for her. " Time and patience " are what 
make the trotter of the most ^^romising, and very few 
arrive at a fast gait till they have been subjected to care- 
ful, long-continued handling. Oriole is also doing well, 
and as she learns to bend her knees, she improves in other 
respects. I have not seen you drive May yet. 

Pupil. — I have promoted May into the fast division, and 
work her with the trotters in the morning. To-morrow I 
think I will convince you she rightfully belongs to that 
class. 



CHAPTEE XXVII. 

DKEBSING CKACKED HEELS — EXEECISING FALCON — DKIVrNG 

NEVER MIND — DRIVING JANE — THE STRIDE OF HORSES — 

POSITION OP FEET IN A TROT AND GALLOP — 

SKILL IN DRIVING. 

Preceptor. — The sun's ra,ys have hung diamonds on 
every bush and flower, transforming the dewdrops into 
jewels outshining those in a queen's diadam. I have always 
fancied that there is a sanitive property in the morning 
dew, and that when a horse's feet are feverish, or the horn 
brittle, a walk in the "dew-bespangled" grass would be of 
benefit. I do not know that this distilled moisture is dif- 
ferent from that taken from the cistern, and put in the foot 
tub; and perhaps the idea that it penetrates the foot more 
quickly is only a fanciful notion. I am not much in favor 
of these greasy applications called hoof ointments, and 
think that water is superior to all the compounds that are 
daubed on the horn. Neither do I beheve in the many 
soakings that some give; the application of water sufficient 
to keep it clean is generally all that is needed for a healthy 
foot. Should a horse's heels be inclined to crack, the 
practice of walking him where the dew will dampen that 
part of the foot, is bad. For cracked heels, glycerine is the 
best application with which I am acquainted, and if a 
little of it is applied when they first begin to open, it will 
effect a cui-e, unless the evil arise from a morbid habit 
occasioned by bad health. Much washing of the legs is 
prejudicial, by inclining the heels to open, though the use 



DRIVING FALCON. 401 

of bandages will lessen the liability. Glycerine will in- 
corporate witb water, and wben I want the bandages to 
remain damp as long as possible, I always mix it witb the 
water I wet them with. I have had horses that could 
hardly be worked fast without cracks opening in the heels, 
till at times the blood would issue. Since using this, 
I have been successful in curing them by washing the legs 
with warm water, letting them absorb what moisture could 
be readily taken up with the sponge, applying plenty of 
glycerine, and placing a loose bandage fi'om the hoof to 
the knee. The skin by this treatment acquires more sup- 
pleness, which renders it less likely to crack. The band- 
ages must envelop the foot so as to exclude the air, and 
the folds be numerous though loose. 

I see you have the harness on the Falcon, so I suppose 
he is the first one to be exercised; and as they are harrow- 
ing the track, it will be as well not to drive Never Mind 
until you can give him his work on the soft jJortion. The 
Falcon you can jog three miles the reverse way of the 
track. When you turn him, increase his speed to a three- 
minute gait, driving him as fast as you can on the back 
stretch, come round the turn easier, gradually increasing 
the rate tiU half way down the stretch, when you can send 
him along till you get by the stand. Keep up as fast a 
gait for the next mile as you can drive him without break- 
ing, and this time he can come the whole length of the 
stretch as fast as he can go, hurrying him till he breaks ; 
half way round the turn take him up, turn him around, 
and go the reverse way of the track a three-and-a-half gait, 
when you can bring him to the barn. 

That was very well done. Give him a swallow or two of 
water to rinse out his mouth, scrape him, rub out his poU, 
straighten his hair, throw a long blanket on him, and 
walk him tiU he is cool. You can continue to give him 
the same amount of work you did this morning twice a 



402 HOKSB POETEAITUEE. 

week. The mornings that you do not give this work, he 
can be driven on the road, or slowly on the track, for six 
or eight miles. In place of the second sweat j^ou can 
work him now with the long hood on, and after the 
first mile has been done fast, take him out of the shafts, 
scrape him, walk fifteen minutes, and repeat with a two- 
mile drive. In preparing him for this move, give him 
half his usual feed at night, half his water with a small 
lock of hay, put on the muzzle, and only give a quart of 
gTain in the morning. In place of the mash the preced- 
ing night, feed it after he has been done up, in lieu of the 
grain that this feed would have consisted of. Should we 
trot him in a race a month from now — and I think that 
will be good polic}', for he is recovering from his breaks 
admirably, and if he does not find company that is a good 
deal too fast for him, he will stand a good chance to win 
— the race will do in place of a sweat, and, as I said be- 
fore, there is no such school for teaching a horse to trot 
in races, as races themselves. If a trainer even thinks the 
work of a three in five race is Just what a horse needs to 
bring him to the mark, he would hesitate very much to 
give it, unless in the actual combat. How many "green 
horses" have we seen fail to make good the promise their 
private trials led one to expect ! The race was new ground, 
and the driver found it out of his power to get them 
within several seconds as fast as he had often shown them 
before, with apparent ease. So I always like to make my 
horses familiar with the place that is going to be the 
arena where they must display their powers, and if I have 
a " dark " horse, that I do not want the public to get a line 
that will be a guide to his capabilities, I tiy to manage 
that it shall not be apparent. It is quite as well to win a 
.race by one length as fifty, and people are generally more 
afraid of a horse that they have never seen go, than one 
which they have seen win. It is certainly proper that the 



PREPAEIKG FOR THE RAGE 403 

owner of a horse should take pains that his rate is not 
known sooner than will be of advantage to himself. The 
public have a claim that must be allowed, viz. : — that a 
horse must win if he can. Further than this they have 
none; and if a trainer is foolish enough to tell Tom, Dick, 
and Harry of some wonderful trial his horse has made, 
he must not be surprised if they have forestalled him in 
the market, and he can only get his money on at unfavor- 
able odds, njade so by his own lack of judgment. This is 
not all. Shoidd the horse be unable to come up to the 
private performance, and be beaten, the driver is stig- 
matized as a villain who has induced betting for his own 
profit, or has prevented the horse from winning when he 
coidd. 

To have the Falcon in order for the race we contem- 
plate putting him in, it will not be necessary, or even 
advantageous, to strain him up very high. He would trot 
to-day mile heats with ease to himself. As he increases 
his speed, which he will be more apt to do under medium 
than heavy work, he will require better condition. When 
giving him the move I mentioned, with the hood on, it 
will be well enough to time him, and five or six days be- 
fore the race, we can give him a trial of a mile and repeat, 
which will be some guide to what he can do. After this 
trial we will "fog him out" by giving a very light sweat 
under clothes. A half-mile brush the morning after this 
sweat, and plenty of slow work, will be all that is neces- 
sary, in my opinion, to have him trot in proper form. 

Never Mind will be benefited by keeping up the sweats 
in the same manner as you have been giving them — though 
you must remove the clothing from his loin and quarters 
— of course increasing the speed as you drive him. In 
the meantime, you can jog him on the harrowed part of 
the track, and have the soil loosened whenever it becomes 
the least hard. We will also have to give him a trial. 



404 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

whicli will be on the same day as that of the Falcon. 
Give him the last sweat three or four days before the time 
of the trial, preparing both of the horses as much as you 
would for a race. When you speed him, observe due 
caution, in recovering him from a break, not to increase 
his tendency to get on his quarters. Grive him his head, 
and after a jump or two, if he does not catch of his own 
accord, shake him a little by moving the bit thi'ough hip 
mouth, giving one rein a slight twich, very tepderly, how- 
ever, " as though the reins were made of a single thread 
of silk," which would be broken with a rude pull. If he 
still runs, pull him directly back, now using a strong 
hand, — but let this be the last resort. We must have a 
horse to gallop with the horses in their work, and I know 
of one that will suit you exactly. I will send him up to- 
morrow, and, though he has had a good deal of exercise 
lately, it has not been sufficient to give him condition 
enough to stand the battering. By the time we make the 
trial, you can have him in good order to endure going the 
second mile with ease. It will be as well to have him 
galloped when you are driving. Instruct the boy that 
rides him not to lie alongside of you all the while, but 
vary his position — sometimes head and head, again a few 
lengths in advance, and j)art of the time a short distance 
in the rear. 

Now for Miss Jane. As the harrowing is finished, you 
can jog her on the soft ground. You will be the best 
judge of how much slow work to give her, knowing what 
you have accustomed her to, and can give a shi-ewd gues? 
how she will behave before you start her at speed. 

Pupil. — You must not get weary waiting, as I will jog 
her very slowly for a time. Con is coming out with water 
sponge, clothes, &e. I thought it best to put her before 
the wagon for this her first effort at a real fast gait. I 
want you to time her down the back side, as I am going 



DRIVING JAKE. 405 

to drive her there as fast as I can ; I will signify my in- 
tention of the time T intend to drive when I come by you. 

Peeceptok. — I would advise you to keep her a little 
within her rate, unless you find that she is working very 
kindly, when you can venture to push her as fast as you 
can. Should she break, handle her very gently. Bravely 
done ! She is tremendous in her stride, and if I had not 
had the watch in my hand, I would have gxeatly underrated 
her. She went down the stretch in thirty-eight seconds, 
when I did not think she was going any inside of a forty 
gait. While Con is walking her, we will go across and 
try to find the length of her stride. I have a tape hne, as 
pacing is only a rough way of guessing, at the best. 

Pupil. — I am glad she pleased you, and she certainly 
went better than I expected. She went very evenly, and 
luckily did not break until I got by the half-mile pole. I 
had been urging her for the last hundi'ed yards, and when 
she did leave her feet, she lost a good deal of time, though 
she was not excited, and did not try to run, 

Peeceptok. — Here are strides that are very distinct — 
nineteen feet to a hundred-pound wagon is some stretch- 
ing. Take notice how near they are of a length, not six 
inches variation among^ them all; and there is another 
thing I like to see, the regularity in the spaces between 
each footprint. This is enough to convince any one that 
the body of the trotter is in the air part of the time, as 
the eighteen-hand Magog could not be stretched a great 
deal over half the distance. 

PuprL. — The stretching would require an India-rubber 
quadruped, or to be something like the harness I heard 
an old man tell about : he was taking the tanner to task 
for not making better leather, and to illustrate it, said, 
that he made a pair of traces of the last side he had 
tanned, and on a wet, thawing day he went to the woods 
a quarter of a mile distant to haul up a log. He hitched 

18 



406 HOKSE POETEAITURE. 

to a smooth beech — not a very heavy draught — and started 
home, leading the horse by the halter. On arriving at the 
house he was astonished to see nothing of the log or 
whiffletree ; but the traces were like the " linked sweet- 
ness long drawn out" he had heard of, as they were 
barely visible. As it was nearly night and the chores had 
to be done, he had not time to investigate the cause then ; 
so he threw the hames over a hitching post, that stood 
near the woodyard, to hang for the night. A frost came 
and checked the rivulets that ran through each ravine, 
giving promise of being a "good sap day," when the 
sugar maples would yield a copious flow. He got up early 
to go to the " bush," when, upon opening the door, he was 
siu'prised to see that the log was there. The frost had 
dried the leather, and the contraction drew the log fi-om 
the woods. 

Pkeceptor. — A very good Munchausen, and not a whit 
Kiore wonderful than some stories that are told about 
horses. Though Jane's gait is very long and open, I do 
not think it will be advisable to take any means to shorten 
it, as she does not dwell or point when going fast. I have 
Keen horses that had a very long stride that could not 
trot fast, as the time it took them to " gather " more than 
counterbalanced the advantage of covering a good deal of 
ground. Horses of this kind often go a great deal faster 
by inducing a shorter stride, and more rapid action. 
When an animal has both, he must be fast ; and though 
generally not as caj)able of going as well before heavy 
weight, or through deep gTouad, I have known some 
notable exceptions to this rule, that could do both as well 
as any short or moderate gaited horse I ever knew. I 
always fancied that long striders could carry more flesh 
than if they did not step so far, and always aim to have 
them feeling as weU as a due amount of work wiU permit. 



clipper's legs. 407 

They must have condition, as when tired there is a greater 
falling off in their speed than there is in the short stepper. 

You had better get into the wagon and jog Jane slowly 
a couple of miles before you bring her to the barn. As to 
her future work, I see no reason for mating any other 
changes than that of requiring her to go, once or twice a 
week, as fast as she is capable of. The brushes will have 
to be lengthened as you progress in her training, and you 
will be the best judge of how much slow work she will 
need. I think in her sweats it will be well enough only 
to wrap her neck and chest. When the inside fat is ab- 
sorbed, and the action of her heart and lungs is satisfac- 
tory, it wUl be needless to reduce her further. When her 
temper becomes tranquilized, so that we can rely on her 
performing in a race as well as she does in her exercise, it 
will certainly take a very good horse to beat her. For 
should she come well in hand to the entrance of the home 
stretch, a length or two behind most horses, she would 
make it very hot for them from that point to the stand. 
While you are jogging Never Mind, I will watch Clipper 
walking, and give his legs a close examination. 

Pupil. — Never Mind is much pleased with the soft track, 
and I could not detect any soreness in the foot. I drove 
him five mUes, thinking that distance, on the mellow 
ground, was enough. 

Pkeceptok. — That was sufficient. You can now harness 
the grey, and, as I am anxious to soe him move, you can 
give him a short brush, just long enough to show me his 
manner of going. I am very much afraid he vnll have to 
be laid up, as his legs have not the appearance I would 
like to see, and it will be better policy to stop his work 
than to endanger spoiling them entirely. I am satisfied 
that the iron, accompanied with proper care the ensuing 
winter, will result in a permanent cure. The next two or 
three weeks will be apt to show whether his legs will 



408 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

stand or not. If you see any symptoms of their getting 
worse, particularly if the back tendon becomes bowed, 
throw him up at once, soak his legs in bran tea, take his 
feed away gradually, and let him graze an hour every day. 
In sweating him day after to-morrow, do not drive any 
fui'ther after the hair has become moistened, reljdng on 
the additional clothing to give a free flow of perspiration. 

Pupil. — Shall I speed him on the outside of the track ? 
Would not that be safer for him to go fast on, as well as 
slow? 

Pkeceptok. — It would : though, as I want to see how 
he handles himself, you can pull him to the inside when 
ready to let him speed. A hundred yards will be far 
enough. It is as I expected. His way of going is very 
severe on the legs. He also strides long, and as his action 
is very high, he necessarily throws a heavier weight on 
them than if he went lower. We will have liim shod with 
very light shoes, to lessen, as much as we can, this super- 
abundant action of the knee. You had better work him 
entirely on the outside of the track, varying that with 
plenty of road work, selecting the sandy one that leads to 
the cove. His speed has not been overrated, as he cer- 
tainly went very fast in the short brush. What a pity 
that he has not such Hmbs as the Falcon and his colts 
have! To undergo the batteiing the hard tracks give, 
those iron, tendinous ones are the sort. I have heard 
people argue that large bone is a sine qua non in a trotter. 
Now, Chpper has bone enough, but there is not correspond- 
ing development of tendon. Nine horses in ten that give 
way in their legs have bone enough, but the tendons are 
small. 

Pupn,. — In a conversation we held some time ago, you 
told me how a horse trotted and ran — that is, how the 
legs were moved at these gaits. I have known a man 
claim that a trotter requii-ed more strength in the fore 



POSITION OF THE FEET. 409 

legs than a race horse, as one hmb did the work of two. 
It strikes me that his knowledge of movement was very 
limited, as I am sure the fast gallop is much more trying 
than the fast trot. 

Peeceptob. — There can be no question of that. The 
gTeater the velocity of the body, the greater the force with 
which it comes to the gTOund. And not to spend time in 
argument, I can adduce an illustration that will prove it. 
Drive a fast trotter on ground that will just receive the 
impress of the shoe, so that the frog touches the ground. 
Run a horse over the same, and he will sink much deeper, 
running in training-shoes similar to those worn by the 
trotter. I have also heard men state that the fore feet of 
the race horse struck the earth at the same instant, and 
that the hind legs followed the same ride. Such ignorance 
shows a want of common observation, as any person with 
his eyes shut, and merely hstening to a horse galloping 
past, ought to know better. The foot-prints will show 
the mariner in which a horse runs, more clearly than they 
do in a fast trot. For instance, the " tracks " are in this 
form when a horse runs : — 



They vary more in the trot, some horses placing the hind 
foot more in advance of where the fore foot stood, than 
others, thus : — 



xxxxxxxxxx 
Fore. Hind. Fore. Hind. Fore. Fore. Hind. Fore. Hind. Fore. 

The bound is very clearly seen in the shoe marks of the 
race horse, though it is not so apparent in those of the 



410 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

trotter. That there is a time when the body is j^ropelled 
through the air, is manifest from the length of the strides 
that Jane made. The tape line showed nineteen feet ; 
extend her feet as far as it is possible, and you will per- 
ceive that ten feet is beyond her capacity of reaching, so 
that the extra nine feet is made by the body being hurled 
along, before it is again supported by the feet touching 
tlie ground. The length of the stride is from where the 
foot leaves the gi'ound, to where it first strikes it again. 
There are four spaces between these two marks. In the 
trotter they are nearly of a uniform length, while in the 
race horse, three of these spaces are about equal, while 
the fourth is as long as all the others. Of course this 
proportion is regulated by the distance of the stride, there 
being a great disparity in this particular among race 
horses. I must acknowledge my partiahty for a horse 
that is a long strider, over a short one, for either running 
or trotting, as I think the long striders are generally the 
fastest, and I have known many horses celebrated for 
their endurance that " covered a deal of ground." It is 
rare to find this quahfication, unless a horse has the 
oblique shoulder-blade, a point which every judge of a 
horse's form considers of the greatest importance. 

While talking of the foot-prints, I will mention a custom 
which I always follow, when training horses and making 
myself acquainted with their length of stride, and I often 
find it useful as a guide to show the reasons why they are 
not trotting as well as common. For instance, we give 
Never Mind a trial, and he trots a quarter of a mile in 
thirty-sis seconds. He is working and feeling well. 
We measure the strides for a hundred yards, and find that 
they average seventeen feet, with very little difference in 
the length of any of them. At a subsequent period we 
speed liim the same distance, and find that he has been 
two seconds longer in accomplishing it. The tape line 



ADVAlirTAGE OF MEASURIN"G STRIDES. 411 

shows there has been a falling off of a foot in the distance 
coYered, and this would show that there has been no 
diminution in his action, as it is fully accounted for in the 
discrepancy in the stride. We examine his feet, to see if 
it is pain there, which has made him fearful of extending 
them, and if we cannot discover any tangible reason, the 
foot tub is called into requisition, he is driven on soft 
ground, with other precautions, that we deem necessary, 
to remove the difficulty. On the other hand, should the 
stride prove to be as long as formerly, it will be evident 
that he must have lost some of his quickness of action. 
Now there are various causes that may have affected him 
in this particular. Soreness of the muscles, interfering 
with the celerity of their action ; weakness fi'om over- 
sweating, or an insufficiency of feed — though this would 
be more apparent in a longer trial ; too much slow, long- 
continued jogging, or the carrying the walks to an extreme, 
making him dull, and without the proper animation to 
take delight, as he should, in bursting off" for the brush. 
Should there have been a change in the shoeing, that 
might occasion it — and I never have a different shoe 
placed on a horse, without scrutinizing closely the effect it 
has on the stride. It may seem a trivial matter to follow 
a horse with a tape hne, and note the slightest variation 
in his stride ; but I have been benefited greatly by this 
plan, and I know that you will oftentimes be able to find 
out the reasons for a falHng off in speed, that would have 
troubled you without this assistance. 

I want to see May perform, and hope she will verify 
your assertion that she is entitled to a place among the 
trotters. That she will eventually be a good one, I have 
no doubt, though I did not look for as rapid improvement 
as you mention. 

Pupil. — ^I may have been deceived, by the rapid change, 
into placing too high an estimate on her powers ; still I 



4:12 HOESE POETEAITUKE. 

feel confident that it will not be long ere she will make 
the older ones " do all they know how," to beat her. I 
have not driven her at her fastest gait around the turns 
yetj but will now drive her a mile, and let the watch tell 
the story. 

Pkeceptok. — Hurrah! 2:41, and she was 1:23 in doing 
the first half. There is no further difficulty of making a 
trotter of her, as with proper handling, I do not think she 
wiU relapse into her former sideling motion. That is the 
only thing to fear, and every precaution must be taken to 
guard against it. It will be tis well to confine her fastest 
work for a while to the straight sides, teaching her to go 
on the turns by degTees, and always letting her wear the 
roll to protect the i^astem. An unlucky blow, by wounding 
that, would be very detrimental, as hkely to re-awaken the 
fear she formerly had of injuring it, and destroy the con- 
fidence she has acquired. I hke to have horses capable 
of going fast on any part on the track — especially the latter 
end. The advantages are too apparent to need comment. 
This requu-es practicing a rapid gait on the semicircles, 
as well as on the parallel lines, to accustom a horse to go 
with freedom when " rounding a turn." It will be as well 
not to hurry May in this part of her education, for if we 
succeed in cui'ing her by taking the whole season, we will 
be well repaid for the time occupied. Her neck and 
shoulders will only need "scraping," enveloping them in a 
wrapper and long hood, though I would not recommend 
clothing her farther back than a few inches behind the 
girth. May is a very handy breaker, so that we can look 
for her to be a " good moneyed horse" — a safe one to do 
in a race all she promises in her trials. 

I cannot see that you need much further instruction, 
and now that you have had a lesson in the danger of allow- 
ing a horse to wear a shoe that will be likely to do injury, 
should he "grab," you will not need cautioning on that 



DRIVING. 413 

score. You will also be likely to remember the danger 
there is in snatching a horse sharply, should he break, as 
more serious results may follow than cutting the quarters. 
Injury to the knee is frequently the consequence, while 
the animal may be hurt permanently by a strain of the 
shoulder or loin. Thei'e is nothing gained by this proceed- 
ure, as I never knew a horse that would not ultimately be 
a better breaker, and lose less ground, when the gentler 
plan has been followed. If a person has so little physical 
strength that he is afraid of not being able to manage a 
horse, unless he jerks him at the instant he leaves his feet, 
he must use some of the safety appliances, which will give 
him the requisite nerve. But the most successful means 
of managing a refractory horse is not by main strength; 
address, or skill, as we may term it, being far more ef- 
fective. 

One of the very best drivers I ever saw has not more 
strength than a hearty twelve-year-old boy. He never uses 
hand pieces, or any aid of that kind, depending entirely 
on skillful management, which I never knew to fail him at 
any time. If a horse is determined to run away, and is 
accustomed to do so whenever he tries, pulling will not 
stop him. The best way, then, is to retain your self- 
possession, when you will be able to guide him, and keep 
him running where the ground is the safest. If you have 
a horse that you feel confident will stop whenever you tell 
him, and go wherever you direct, you are not alarmed if 
he does run. It is not the sj)eed, then, that is so frightful, 
but the consciousness that you are carried along against 
your will. It is a good many chances to one, that, when 
the horse finds you ai-e not pulling at him, but, if anything, 
lu-ging him on, and if he is not heeding the suggestions of 
the bit in going the way you direct, adding to its admoni- 
tions a severe reminder with the whip, — he will not find so 
much pleasure in the effort, and be as ready to stop as you 

18* 



414 HOKSE PORTRAITUEE. 

are to have liim. This, of course, has reference to horsea 
that run away fi'om willfuhiesSj and not under the sudden 
impulse of fright. As you have now finished your morn- 
ing's worlv I will leave you, and I do not think it will be 
necessary for me to come again, until the time fixed for 
the trials. If there is anything you want to know, that I 
have omitted in my directions, you can subject me to any 
queries you see fit. 

Pupil. — The bump of self-esteem must be a prominent 
elevation on my head, as I feel very capable of carrying 
the horses along. The success I have had, so far, I do not 
ascribe to fortuitous circumstances, but to the result of 
3^oui- teachings, as I should have been sadly at a loss to 
know what to do in several instances. Your directions 
have been so minute, that my memory and comprehension 
would have to be very poor, if they did not serve to guide 
me for the time you will be gone. I can assure you that 
I will not fall into the same error again I did with Never 
Mind, in either mistaking overwork for rankness, or in 
twitching him on to his quarters. To fit the horses for 
the races in four weeks, it will be necessary that their 
work should gradually approach that which it will be in the 
race, and with all my assurance, I am not so certain that 
I will be able to hit the happy medium, and give them 
neither too little nor too much work. 

Peeceptor. — You had better keep on the safe side, and 
have the work rather under what you consider the full 
amount they can bear with advantage. While there has 
to be plenty of work given to bring a horse into condition, 
an over-supply is worse than not having him quite up to 
the mark in opening a campaign. In fact, I prefer that 
a horse should not be in the form of doing all he is caj^able 
of in his first races, but in that condition that will be 
benefited by the work he gets in them, and so keep up a 
steady rate of improvement, until the season is at an end. 



GETTING COISTDITION" IN RACES. 415 

I dislike very much, for a horse to become stale, before he 
has trotted half the races we have marked for him to per- 
form in, and it is better policy not to try to bring him to 
an "edge" at the start, as I am fearful that, after the first 
few contests, it would become nicked and broken, from 
our not having taken time enough to temper the blade so 
as to hold it. The celebrated trainer, Arthur Taylor, in 
the commencement of a campaign, had his horses looking 
big and bulky, and one of the shrewdest managers on the 
English turf, Thomas Parr, said that he found it the 
cheapest plan to sweat his horse in public, meaning that 
he preferred they should run themselves into condition in 
actual races, rather than by galloping on the downs. 
Should the weather not be favorable to give the trials at 
the time we intend, and the track not be in shape to work 
on, you will have to go on the road, as it will not do to 
fail exercising those we trot in the races. If you should 
hapjaen to need advice or assistance from me, send one of 
the boys down, and I will come forthwith. 



CHAPTEE XXYIII. 

TRIALS — PKEPARATIONS FOR THEM — TRIAL OF THE FALCON— 
OF NEVER MIND. 

Preceptor. — You will perceive I have come in time tliis 
morning, and have been well repaid for my break-of-day 
drive by the beauty of this bright opening of the dawn. 
You have been giving fervid descriptions of your Western 
scenery, and the dry air that enabled you to see distinctly 
at distances that would require the aid of a telescope in a 
less favored chme; but I think you will have to aknowledge 
*hat even the grand prairie was never enveloped in a 
purer, more odoriferous, ambient ma.ntle than this. Your 
'.^'hicago friend would be troubled to find any of those 
deleterious vapors, that he thinks are always brooding on 
'"-he ocean's shore, and if his eye is as quick for detecting 
teauty, as his palate is nice in discovering the exquisite 
flavor of wines, as shown by his selection, he would be 
greatly delighted at the prospect presented this morning. 
Look at the sun rising from its waveless bed, making a 
glowing pathway, a flooring of radiance glorious in its 
brightness ! The vessels in the offing, which a few minutes 
ago only caught the refulgence in their topmast sails, now 
stand out in full relief, a pyramid of whiteness, contrasting 
finely with the black pennon streaming from the passing 
steamer. Notice the steamer that is lying by — how the 
smoke rises in a grand column, with a capital more grace- 
ful in its curves than the fluted, acanthus-leaved glory 
that crowns the elegant Corinthian shaft ! And when we 



COKDITION OF TRACK. 417 

come to the foreground of this inimitable picture, what 
perfect keeping there is in the " filling up !" The field of 
tasseling corn on our left seems a continuation of the 
coppice beyond it, the broad luxuriant leaves deflecting 
from the stalk, and falling back in curves superior to Ho- 
garth's line of beauty, and giving an Oriental appearance 
to the view, heightened by the group of sumachs, with 
their palm-like leaves and scarlet cones. That field of 
ripening grain appears as if it had retained the yellow 
sunbeams in which it has been bathed, while the air is 
filled with the perfume of the woodbines and honeysuckles 
that drape the cottage porch, and hang in festoons about 
the windows. The morning is as favorable as we could have 
for horses to go fast; and if the track is in corresponding 
condition, the time made will not be a safe criterion to 
guide us, in estimating the ability of the horses to perform, 
when things are not so favorable. 

Pupil. — The track is good, though not so fast as it might 
be, as I have had the whole of it harrowed — the inside 
very lightly — thinking it would be better for the trotters, 
and I could not bear to see the horse you sent up gallop- 
ing on ground that had no loose dirt to deaden the con- 
cussion. 

Preceptor. — You have made a hit in preparing it, as I 
am very partial to a thin coating of loose earth, even for 
trotting purposes ; and though it is undoubtedly slower than 
a smooth, hard surface, it is fast enough — faster than 
many would think who had not tried a horse on a similiar 
course. There is just the right amount of soil to fill the 
inner part of the foot, forming a sort of a cushion, which 
vdll take a gi-eat deal of the jar off, and a horse v/ill there- 
fore extend himself fi-eely, gaining in that way nearly as 
much as he looses by the added draught of the wheels 
running over a yielding surface. It will be as well that 
the horses have a short walk before driving, and have a 



418 HOESE POKTEAITURB. 

mash made for the feed at ten o'clock for each of them. 
Unless they are costive, this mash can be made of the 
hominy and oats, and a small projjortion of bran. The 
water must be boiling, and the vessel that is used to make 
it in must be covered, so that there will be no escape of 
steam. 

Pupil. — In preparing these horses for the trial, I did not 
give them more than three-quarters of their usual feed of 
grain, last night half their water, and about a quarter of 
the hay they commonly receive. This morning I have only 
given them a quart of grain apiece, and a very few swallows 
of water. 

Pkeceptoe. — I think the amount you have named may 
not do any injury, though I would not have fed them as 
much. I am not in favor of " drawing a horse " as closely 
as many do, who, I think, err in making their restrictions 
too severe. There is a point to be reached in this pre- 
paration which it should be our aim to observe, viz : that 
the stomach should not be encumbered, and yet the 
nourishment afforded by the food be sufficient to carry a 
horse tlirough a race, in which he would " weaken" unless 
the supj)ly was adequate to meet the demands. Many 
interesting experiments have been made in France to 
determine the time it takes for a horse to digest his food, 
and also the effects of exertion in hastening the process. 
I do not remember them distinctly enough to quote what 
the results were; but this I do recollect, that digestion is 
nearly passive when the animal is in repose, is much 
hastened with moderate exercise, and suspended when 
violent exertion takes place. In three or four hours, under 
the most favorable cii-cum stances, the food is assim- 
ilated. Now, last night's feed would only have undergone 
a partial change before the action of the stomach was 
suspended by the animal sleeping, and whatever was given 
this morning, cannot help encumbering the stomach, at 



CAUTEEIZIIfG. 419 

the time we want him to exert himself. The walk will 
assist in relieving the horses, and we will postpone the 
work till after breakfast, which will be a further help. 
Actual trial is worth far ixore than theory; and making 
yourself acquainted with the wants of each horse in this 
particular, by repeated experiments, is altogether the best 
method. Horses differ, and while one may require the cur- 
tailment in his food and drink to be rigid, others will per- 
form better, by never being forced to wear the muzzle, and 
only shortened in the meals that immediately precede the 
race. I have heard a story that an EngHshman always 
fights the best after a good dinner, an Irishman when he 
has had a sup of whiskey, and your countryman, the Scotch- 
man, when fasting. I presume that this is only a conceit, 
though it is applicable to the equine familj'^, as I have 
known different horses that required, one of them the 
stimulus of the whip and spur; another, the support of the 
most nutritious food; and the third would do better when 
drawn till his shape resembled that of a greyhound when 
in order to run a course. There will be time for you to 
jog Clipper before we are summoned to the steak and 
coffee. 

Pupil. — I have observed, when I have been driving him 
lately, that he has gone with a little halt in his gait, and 
am fearful that the only cure for him will be the actual 
cautery, which you have advised as a last resort. 

Preceptor. — You need not exercise him, as I can see 
that the near fore leg gives evident symptoms of not being 
capable of standing the work. You v^dll see that the out- 
line of the back tendon is not straight as it should be, but 
is cui'ved outward ; and I never knew one in that shajje, 
if the work was persisted in, that did not ultimately break 
down. Cauterizing has, as Mr. Percival says, restored 
many when in this condition, and given them renewed 
strength to perform nearly as well as they did formerly. 



420 HORSE PORTRAITUEE. 

I know a veterinarian that greatly excels in performing 
tliis very painful operation. I have seen legs that he has 
tired from the knee to the coronet, when the marks of the 
firing iron have been hardly discoverable, and yet the 
effect has been equally as good as in those cases disfigured 
with ugly scars and rigid callouses. By the way, how do 
the horses Hke the company of the galloj)ing fellow ? 

Pupil. — I cannot say whether they consider the acquisi- 
tion of his company pleasru'able or not. The Falcon does 
not pay much attention to him any more, if he -wiVL only 
stay behind ; but the moment he takes the lead, he will 
exert every nerve to overtake him, and never gives up try- 
ing as long as the runner is in advance. I know, as well as 
if he could tell me in words, what he thinks, and there is no 
doubt, in my mind, that his cogitations are, if we would 
only put a saddle on him, there is not a man about the 
place that he could not carry, and beat that short-gaited 
fellow, that thought it quite a trick to run ahead of a 
horse, encumbered with wheels and forced to keep a gait 
immeasureably slower than his natural one. Never Mind, 
when the horse laps him, will fairly fly, and keeps him to 
a good racing pace for a coiiple of hundred yards, al- 
though, when he gets a few lengths clear in the lead, he 
loses heart, and if still pushed, does not go with the 
animation that characterizes his efforts when he thinks 
he is beating him. Jane surprised me with the quietness 
which she displays in his company, and will accommodate 
her pace to the one the runner goes at, and is prompted 
more by the command of her driver to go faster, than she 
is by the desire to leave him. May is hke her sire, and 
cannot bear to be stopped while he is yet ahead. Delle I 
only tried once, and she was so much excited that I did 
not repeat the experiment. 

Preceptor. — The probable reason for Jane's immobility 
is that she never yet has been in a race ; and the sole cause 



THE COMPETITORS IK THE RACE. 421 

for her former excitement was the drunken driver's lash. 
I had misgi\dngs that Never Mind, would, act in the man- 
ner you describe, from the narrowness of the skull between 
and above the eyes, showing the want of the moral force, 
which, if he possessed, would make him the equal of the 
very best. Better condition will aid him, and I am in 
hopes that the work of to-day, and of those intervening, 
will give him heart enough to win the race we have him 
entered for. The horses in it are not so fast as he is, or 
rather those that are known, there being two dark ones 
that report mentions as having performed wonderfully in 
some Utopian country, the location of which has not yet 
been found out. To contend against the Falcon are horses 
which have gone faster in public than any time we can 
expect him to make yet; but as it is the only place to put 
him in, to give him a chance to receive the benefits of a 
race, he may as well begin there as anywhere else. For 
all this, I would rather take odds against him than lay 
them on Never Mind. Both of these races, coming on 
the same day, will give you and the boys plenty of work; 
yet, with the help you have, all the attention necessary for 
the horses can be awarded them. My morning ride has 
given me a sharp appetite, and I am not sorry to hear the 
signal that summons us to prepare for breakfast. 

PuprL. — I suppose it is useless to offer you anything to 
drink, and I do so more as a matter of form, than from 
any expectation that you will accept it. 

Preceptok. — Thanking you for the kindness, I must 
reiterate that I never drink for form's sake, and when I 
do indulge, it is either to gratify my palate, or for the 
fancied necessity for the stimulus. I say fancied, as I 
think nine-tenths of the liquor that is drank is from some 
fanciful cause. That I take pleasure in drinking I will 
cheerfully admit, and I appreciate the flavor of good Hquor 
as much as any one. Because ripe peaches are delicious, 



422 HOKSE PORTRAITUEE. 

we would be foolisli to use them so indiscriminately as to 
endanger the health, or clog the appetite. My favorite 
beverage in the morning is coffee, and though I relish a 
cup of good black tea at times, the decoction of the 
Arabian berry, when rightly prepared, is the accom- 
paniment I most fancy to the matutinal meal. But I 
have expatiated so much on the pleasures of good cheer 
that you will have a right to think I am more of a gourmet 
than I am. A horse is better for neither being a gross or 
deheate feeder, and I have always schooled myself not to 
be over-fastidious about my food, while my hearty ap- 
petite causes me to relish almost everything of which 
people are fond. 

Pupil. — Talking of peaches reminds me that their sea- 
son is close at hand, and they are among the delectahles 
which I prize exceedingly. Strawberries, raspben-ies, 
peaches, grapes, and pears I have a fondness for, which 
almost amounts to a passion, and I gratify this appetite 
by consuming quantities that appear frightful to some; 
and I have often been told that I would kill myself, if I 
devoured such loads; yet I never found any damage to 
arise from this wholesale consumption. I think fruit is 
to man what green, succulent herbage is to the horse — a 
promoter of good health, and certainly a source of pleas- 
ure which does no injury. As I am a pound or two over 
the standard weight, I suppose it would be as well that I 
should restrain my appetite somewhat, so that the horses 
would not have to drag more load than is required. 

Peeceptor. — The effect of a few jiounds' weight in trot- 
ters is hardly appreciable ; that is, when the extra amount 
consists in four or five pounds of flesh in the driver. Race 
horses are different, though I think the disadvantages of 
a slight excess of weight are over-estimated. The story 
of the stable key in the pocket of the boy has been told 
;?o often, that the behef in the dogma, that an ounce or 



QUALIFICATIOZSrS FOE A DEIVEE. 423 

two changed tlie result in the trials, is very general. That 
weight will equahze horses, is shown by the result of the 
handicaps in England; though the difference necessary to 
bring a good horse and a poor one together should con- 
vince people, that the old notion of seven pounds being 
equal to two hundred and forty yards in four miles is a 
mistake. Eight or ten pounds, over the regular weight, in 
a sulky would make a very slight distinction, depending 
even then a good deal on the state of the track. The ad- 
ditional friction of a vehicle with four wheels, causes quite 
a gap in a mile with most horses, though I think this de- 
pends a good deal on the fact that the wagon covers more 
ground than the sulky, and therefore is not so easily 
handled. In going round a turn, the centrifugal force 
operates prejudicially, and the hind wheels are thrown in 
such a position that they have to slide as well as revolve. 
Weight in the wagon there, then, wotdd be more felt, as 
the heavier the vehicle is, the greater is the tendency to 
fly from the centre. So I do not think there is much 
necessity for placing the muzzle on you; and so long as 
you do not eat too much, so as to effect the free workings 
of the wheels of the mind, you need not be restricted. 

There are other qualifications required to make a good 
driver, that are fuUy as essential as skill in handhng a 
horse; one gxeat requisite being coolness of temper, and 
another the power of judging quickly, and taking advan- 
tage of circumstances arising from the varying changes of 
the race. I wiU not dilate on this point, tiU I see how you 
deport yourself next week, when I can give advice that 
will be appropriate, and better understood, as the exigen- 
cies of the case demand our attention. 

Now for the trial, which is to determine the chances we 
imagine the horses will have when pitted against a field, 
each one comprising it doing his best to win. I must again 
warn you of the danger there will be in taking the time 



424 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

the horses make this morning, as being the measure of 
their powers in a race. Here everything is advantageous. 
The air is pure, and not a current to retard the progress 
through it, the track is in fair condition — much beyond 
the average for making good time — and the horses will 
have nothing to trouble them, but will take the inside and 
keep it, while the horse gallops in such a position as to 
ensure getting the most out of them. I have known 
horses that would go faster in a race than at a trial, the 
excitement of the contest, and the animation induced by 
the shouts of the multitude, bracing them to do more than 
was thought to be in their power to accomplish. I sup- 
pose you will commence with the Falcon, jogging him two 
or tliree miles, opening him as many times by short 
brushes up and down the stretch. You can drive him 
past the stand one or twice, stop on the tui-n, drive back 
to the distance post, and start for the trial at as good a 
pace as you can drive him. If he breaks, recover him as 
quickly as you can, and should he leave his feet imme- 
diately preceding the score, I will not start the watch, so 
you can puU him up and try again. 

Pupil. — Shall we gallop the horse with him from the 
first, or wait for the repeat ? 

Peeceptoe, — We wiU wait till he makes the first mile, as 
I want to see what difference the company wiU make, and 
it would be too much work for the horse to run with both 
of the trotters through all their trials. Very well. He 
made the mile in 2 : 38, and the rate was very even for the 
whole distance. I do not think he has disjplayed his 
powers in full, as he appeared to be going too much at his 
ease, and no one would imagine from his present looks 
that he had been pressed at all. Throw the blanket on 
him, and have the boy walk him up the stretch. There is 
no use in giving him much time, as there is no distress to 
recover from. 



TEIAL OF THE FALCON'. 425 

Now, my boy, I want you to give a practical exemplifica- 
tion of tlie way to ride a race horse. Tliat fellow is very 
tractable, and you can place him wherever you desii-e. 
You can galloj) alongside of the Falcon for a mile, in 
which he will be driven slow, and when the horse is turned 
round to start, come a length or two ahead of him, and 
take your horse up on the turn. The next time, come the 
same distance behind him, when you can also pull up. 
The third time let him lead you half a length when I will 
give you the word; keep this position until you enter the 
back stretch, when you can go head and head with him 
to the half-mile pole ; then you can run ahead and take 
the track, keeping a lead of a couple of lengths in the 
clear tiU you are within fifty yards of the two-mile dis- 
tance, when you can pull back gradually, allowing the Fal- 
con to beat you by a neck to the score. 

These orders to the boy will govern you in driving. 
Coming to the score twice before you start will be a short 
lesson in scoring, and you must make the Falcon go at the 
very best rate. If he wants to puU, do not gratify him 
any more than you can possibly help, but talk to him, and 
in place of a hard pull, try to keep him on his feet by 
soothing words. Sponge his nostrils, give him a swallow of 
water, and "mount." 

Pupil. — When I conclude the mile, shall I stop, or jog 
on around the track ? 

Peuceptor. — Go to the half-mile pole, and come back 
moderately slow, but not slow enough so that he will be- 
come the least cool. I am in hopes that he will scrape 
after this work ; and I think he will, as I look for him to 
work a good deal harder than he did in the preceding 
mile. I win give you the word when I want you to start, 
and unless you hear it, you can take him up. If he does 
not act well, I will delay the send-off. 

Bravo ! — 2 : 34, and the last half done in 1 : 16 ; and from 



426 HOESE PORTRAITUEE. 

the manner in which he accomplished it, I have no doubt 
of his capacity to make another one still faster. The rush 
he made to beat the runner, when he found he was gain- 
ing on him, was admirable. Should you handle him as 
well in a race, as you have in this trial, I will certainly 
have to award you a diploma. Get him out of the harness, 
scrape him, straighten his haii',and have him walked till 
he is cool and dry. You can now see the difference in 
the appearance and feehng of the sweat, from that which 
exuded through the pores at the commencement. If the 
heats are broken, this feUow will make trouble for the rest 
of them, as his bottom and condition are such that he can 
trot mile heats all day ; and I would freely venture that 
his third heat will be faster than either of those preced- 
ing it. 

We will now see how Never Mind will go through with 
the ordeal, and while you are jogging him, the boy can be 
walking the runner. You will not start him till the repeat 
— the same as we did before. Twice round will be 
sufficient for Never IVIind to go slow, which you can drive 
the reverse way of the track, making the last half of the 
two miles at a pretty sharp pace, and when you come to 
the stand you can open him for the length of the stretch. 
Tm-n round at the three-quarter pole, come leisurely till 
within a hundred yards of the stand, when you can go as 
fast as you choose for the mile. You will, of course, have 
to husband his powers for part of the time, and I would 
advise taking him in hand for the first quarter, and again 
on the thir^ so that he will feel like going at his best rate 
through the stretches. Drive him so that you will feel 
there is always something in reserve, though I should hke 
to see him hurried at the finish, and thus be able to judge 
what kind of a brush he will be likely to make at the end 
of a fast heat. 

That is pretty near " trotting-horse time" — 2:28, and 



TEIAL OF NEVEE MIND. 427 

stamina enough to make tliat last rush with plenty of 
resolution. As there is a good scrape on him, you can 
take him out of the shafts, wrap him up warmly, walk 
him a few minutes, and we will scrape him on the ground. 
I am partial to scraping a horse in the open air, when the 
weather is at all favorable, as frequently we have to do so 
when racing, and if the job is performed expeditiously, 
there is very little liabihty of a horse taking cold ; none 
at all such a morning as this. Again, you will perceive 
that the sweat from Never Mind is dissimilar to that from 
the Falcon. It shows a httle frothy, and has not the same 
water-like feel that characterizes that of the other. He 
needed the work of this trial more than the Falcon did. 
and the race will be of still more benefit in his case. While 
I am praying for broken heats for the Falcon, I hoj^e 
for no such catastrophe where he is concerned. You can 
pursue the same in the next heat as you did before, and 
the boy can ride in the same manner, only I do not thmk 
it will be advisable to make so many false starts. Should 
he be going satisfactorily, I will give you the word the 
second time you come up. 

Pupil. — I suppose you want him to show his hand this 
time, so I must keep him going the whole of the way. 

Preceptor. — ^While I want him to do his best, I do not 
look for him to be able to keep up his best rate the whole 
of the time, and in order to have him do the mile fast, it 
will be necessary to "bottle" him for some of the way. 
Have him well in hand when I give you the word, and 
keep him within his rate, till you enter the back stretch. 
There let him go as fast as he can. When the horse 
takes the track from him at the half mile, ease him again 
tiU you are fairly straightened into the home stretch, and 
from that point to the stand, get every inch out of him 
there is. Move the bit in his mouth, and encourage him 
with your voice, as the whip, severely applied, might cause 



428 HOKSE PORTEAITUEE. 

him to " shut up." As the running horse is pulled back 
for him to collar, keep him on his legs if possible. If he 
requires something of a pull to accomjohsh this, you can 
do so; but try to "hold him level" with the ajjplication 
of as little force as you can get along with. 

That fellow is a trotter, if even he did show the white 
feather. 2 : 26, and the half-mile in 1 : 12 is tremendous, 
considering all things. Still, it is going to require the very 
acme of condition to enable him to win races among horses 
that are his equal, or very near his equal, in sj)eed. O 
for a little more blood ! I missed the quarter pole a Httle, 
though I am confident he went up the back side better 
than thirty-five seconds, and had he a moiety of what the 
Talcon could spare, we would have a trotter that I would 
not be afraid to "tackle " any person's horse with. Hurry 
the clothes on him, while I prepare some gruel; he is in a 
good deal of distress, and will require the best of attention. 
Observe the tremulous motion of the flanks; and he does 
not walk as he should. Take the sponge, and shower a 
little cold water on his poll, and let it run down his fore- 
head. Here, my boy, run and pull a handful of grass for 
him, which you can let him pick out of your hand as he 
walks. Have hot water ready to bathe his legs, and apply 
the warm bandages as soon as you are done. Give him 
a few swallows of gruel, and after he is thoroughly cooled 
out, fix up his bed, and leave him to lie down in quiet if he 
will. Do not offer him the mash until he has had time 
to recover, which will be some time after the Falcon has 
had his. It is fortunate that we have been able to give 
him this work, as without it he assuredly would have 
tired in the race; and if these dark flyers have the speed 
that is claimed, I am afi-aid he will not be sufficiently up 
to the mark to live through it. They will have to be very 
fast, however, in order to touch his weak spot, and I thini 
we can flatter ourselves that he will " pull through." 



THE MORNING OF THE RACE. 429 

Witli a few hints for your government in future, I will 
leave you; and as my affairs need close attention, I will 
not be here again, but will meet you at the track the 
morning of the race. I have spoken to the proprietor for 
stalls, so you will not have any trouble on that score. 
Take plenty of help along, and more clothes than you 
think will be required. Rubbers, scrapers, sponges, 
buckets, a bottle of arnica tincture, and one of sherry, 
some oatmeal, and whatever else you think will be needed. 
Never Mind you had better confine to slow work, with 
the exception of the half mile more the next morning, but 
one, after you fag him out. Look to his feeding yourself, 
and give him all the food he will eat with a good appetite. 
When the bandages are removed to-day, moisten his legs 
with the arnica, putting four parts of water to one of 
tincture, and have the boys lightly hand-rub them till 
they are dry. The Falcon will almost take care of him- 
self. Work him as you have been doing for the past 
week, and give him the light sweat at the same time as 
Never Mind. I am not much in favor of giving a great 
deal of work, the morning of the race, and, if the animal is 
not very rank, usually confine him to a walk. The wall' 
from here to the course will be all that is required. Start 
immediately after breakfast, and in an hour you will be at 
the course. As the races do not come off till the after- 
noon, the manner of your feeding last night will be proper. 
Carry some feed with you, and give two quarts at ten 
o'clock, with only a swallow or two of water. I will be 
there in time to have the stalls bedded and fixed before 
you come, so there will be no necessity for any directions 
what to do after you get there. 



19 



CHAPTEE XXIX. 

NEVER MIND IN A RACE — INSTRUCTIONS FOR DRIVING — TflB 
HEATS — CARE OF THE HO SE AFTER THE RACE. 

Preceptor. — You make a brave appearance, with Falcon 
heading the cavalcade. He has " the front and port of 
royalty," and at the same time he is too well bred to 
show anything of curiosity in his deportment. Before 
we put the horses in the barn, we wiU drive Falcon and 
Never Mind round the track, in order that they may be- 
come somewhat familiar with the ground, and also that 
you may form some idea of how it lies. It is a trifle 
unequal on its surface, and this you can take advantage 
of, by saving Never Mind where the gi'ade is ascending, 
and make the pace as fast as you think necessary on the 
descent. The Falcon will bowl along up and down hill 
with the same facility, and from what I hear of his an- 
tagonists, this will be the only way that will enable him 
to win. There is no question but that two of the horses 
that are in the first race — the one Never Mind trots in — 
are fast, though I judge we have a couple of seconds' 
advantage on this score. The pool seUing in town was a 
little mixed, and parties were afi-aid to take any one for a 
decided favorite. There was not much difference between 
the two I have mentioned and Never Mind, the rest of 
them going for merely a nominal sum. If I am not 
mistaken, the first heat will rid us of the trouble they will 



NEVER mind's CONDITION. 431 

occasion, and I would clieerfuUy give a hundred dollars 
if they did not start in the race. They will be a great 
bother in scoring, which to have as little of as possible 
will suit us the best. I have put some money on, which 
jon can have a share of, but I must confess that I look 
on this race with a good deal of suspicion. If even they 
do beat, I would be glad to wager that they cannot do it 
again in a week or ten days from now; so there will be 
this advantage, — they will underrate us, and perhaps give 
us a "better thing" when we are in proper condition. Your 
note informed me, that Never Mind recovered fi:om the trial 
better than you anticipated. How is he feeling to-day ? 

Pupil. — As finely as possible, and I was indeed greatly 
surprised at the manner he recovered from the trial. He 
was in no hurry to eat the mash that was prepared for 
him, so I only gave him half the amount at two o'clock. 
He took his walk in good enough sj^irits, and as soon as 
he heard the feed room unlocked, he could hardly wait, he 
was so impatient to get his supper. I have given him a 
good deal of slow work, and the brush you directed me to 
give was about as fast trotting as I ever saw. You will 
see how he wiU tail the field to-day, provided there is any- 
thing in that is fast enough to collar him. I have more 
hopes of his lasting than you have, as 1 do not look for 
him to be kept on his tijD-toes in this race, as when he was 
going with the galloper, and the track is a good deal 
harder than the one we have been training on, which will 
lessen the labor, even if it does try the legs and feet. 

Preceptoe. — I hope you will not be disappointed, though 
I am quite sure you will find more sjDeed to contend 
against than you at present are calculating on. From the 
parties who are supporting these horses, I am confident 
that they are good ones, as they are not the ones to put 
the amount up they have already invested, unless they 
have a good thing, and although they fight shy of each 



432 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

other, you can depend that they are under the impression 
that their own horse is the best. They have heard enough 
of Never Mind to enable them to bring him into the bet- 
ting, and while they have full faith in beating him, have 
so far kept him up in the pools, in hopes that the out- 
siders would continue the support, and that they would 
thus get more money than if he had only been suffered to 
bring the small price the others go for. When they dis- 
cover that your chances are favorable to win, they will 
play into each others' hand, and by driving one horse at 
you part of the time, and laying the other one up, get the 
benefit of a comparatively fresh horse, which will make 
the task more arduous for you. These tactics will not 
probably be inaugurated till after the first heat, when we 
can also better determine the course to pursue. If this 
black fellow was only a few seconds faster, how I would 
like to see them cut and slash at him ! That would just 
suit, him by keeping him ahve to the size of the job he 
had on hand. There wiU be time enough, however, to 
adopt a suitable defence when we see the plan of attack. 
I see that you have taken a wise precaution in bringing 
Mavourneen to keep Never Mind company, as a Httle ir- 
ritation or fretting would be injuiious. The boys had 
better take off the clothes, and give the horses a light brisk 
brushing, one or two swallows of water, and two quarts 
of grain. When they have eaten this, put the muzzles on, 
and do not permit them to be disturbed until an hour 
previous to the time to start. At that time, give a pint of 
grain, so that they will not think their customary feed has 
been neglected, have the harness placed on them, the 
sulky wheels taken off, the spindles carefully cleaned 
and oiled, and a rigid scrutiny observed to see that 
everything is right. These duties, together with hav- 
ing all that will be needed ready to go on the track the 
moment the signal is given, must be attended to, as T 



DEIVING TO EULE. 433 

understand the managers have signified their intention of 
having the rules scrupulously enforced. Fifteen minutes 
before three, the bell will sound to call you out. You will 
have that length of time to warm up, and as soon as the 
watch shows that the advertised hour has come, the horses 
ready will be started, and if there are laggards, they \n\l 
be left behind. I have seen so many bad consequences 
result from delaying the time of starting, that I am glad 
they have come to the conclusion to be thus punctual. 
Five minutes will disqualify, and when once places are 
drawn for, no entry that has delayed making an appear- 
ance will gain admission. You can depend on Tom and 
Con keeping a strict watch that no one can obtain access 
to the horses, so we will walk around the track, in order 
that you may become as familiar with all its features as 
there is any necessity for. 

Pupil. — Here is a place which cannot be seen fi'om the 
judges' stand, and though the distance is short, something 
might be gained by allowing a horse to "take a few jumps" 
that would help him. 

Pkeceptor. — My plan has always been to drive strictly 
to rule, and while I took no undue advantage over my op- 
ponents, I took care that they should obtain none over 
me. At this point they may endeavor to interfere with 
you, one of them carrying you clear to the outside, while 
the other gets as great a lead as he can. Eunning would 
be rathier dangerous, as a horse — even if a good breaker 
— ^is sometimes a httle crochety, and might loose more in 
recovering than he gained, and should a horse emerge 
from the shadow in a run, the judges would be very apt 
to conclude that it was intentional on the part of the 
driver, which would subject him to the penalty of a dis- 
tance. The track is certainly in good order for making 
fast time, and though the afternoon will be warm, the air 
is not oppressive yet, and I do not think it likely to be- 



434 HOESE PORTEAITFEE. 

come so. We will pay the house a visit, where an early 
dinner is intended, so that it will be out of the way before 
the rush comes. We will eat ours, when we can relieve 
the boys and stand guard while they are taking in their 
provender. Your boys are certainly models, not only at- 
tentive and careful in the performance of their duties, but 
they seem to take pride in them, and their aj^pearance is 
as neat and tidy as those whose business is not near so 
trying on the clothes. 

Pupil. — I feel jDroud of them. Formerly they cared for 
nothing, and when their work was done, would listlessly 
saunter about. The money they earned was as good as 
thrown away, and they seemed to have an abhorrence of 
clean clothes. Since they have acquired a taste for read- 
ing — a taste which I have ciiltivated as far as I could — the 
change has been marvellous. They now aspire to know- 
ledge that will fit them for any station, pertaining to the 
management of horses, and are all of them saving money 
so as to make the winter months the most profitable, by 
going to school, when I will warrant they will be indus- 
trious in remedying the defects the want of education in- 
flicts. Perhaps the partial seclusion of private training- 
grounds, has assisted in keeping them away from the 
temptations they have been accustomed to, though I feel 
there is no danger of a relapse, and shall look for them to 
make valuable men, when their education is completed. 

Peeceptoe. — The lessons on order that have been incul- 
cated, have made those boys worth double the money they 
would have been, if they had not acquired this great 
quahty. Everything about the stable shows the care that 
has been taken, and the clothes, harness, and vehicles, are 
not only in better condition, but will last three times as 
long as if they had been neglected; and the satisfaction 
of having such well-behaved and good-looking boys is 



• PREPARATIONS. 436 

more than remuneration, sufficient to repay you for the 
trouble you have taken with them. 

This dinner hardly equals those you are accustomed to, 
though allowance must be made for the confusion at- 
tendant on preparing for a race day. Sandwiches, tarts, 
doughnuts, &c., are consumed in such quantities, that it 
must be as hungry a job to witness the contests as your 
friend deems it dry. 

Pupil. — Shall I limit the Falcon to a pint? His race 
may be delayed for quite a time after the other, and he is 
very ravenous in his desires. 

Peeceptor. — The object in giving the horses any grain 
now, is to stop them worrying about the want of the feed 
they have been accustomed to, and not for any actual 
necessitjJ for the sustenance. Digestion cannot take place, 
and whatever we give will only be in the way. The two 
quarts they eat at ten o'clock has probably been assimilated. 
That, and the vigorous state they are in, ought to carry 
them through these races without any weakness accruing. 
Should it arise, we will give temporary relief by using cor- 
dials and stimulants, which will not interfere with the 
capacity to perform fast work. You want plenty of clothes 
— woolen and linen— scrapers, rubbers, sponges, foot pick, 
buckets, water, oatmeal gruel, bandages, knee and quarter 
boots, the bottle of sherry, &c. I do not think we will re- 
quire the boots, though it is good pohcy to have them on 
hand, and still better luck not to need them. You had 
better shp a pair of hand-pieces on the reins. You need 
not pull on them any harder than you would if they were 
absent, and they are of service by beix^g placed at the 
right length, which a wrap might not be, making your 
reins of unequal length. 

Now we are ready for the signal, and not a moment too 
Boon, as there goes the first tap. Don't get in a hurry, 
but hitch up the same as if you were going out to the 



436 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

usual exercise. The quarter of an hour before the start 
you can jog him slowly, going two miles in the time, and 
not till you have drawn your place and received instruc- 
tions from the judges, will it be well for you to speed him. 
There will undoubtedly be some trouble in getting off, 
which will be warming up enough, and you must use every 
endeavor not to prolong the start. Do not drive any 
faster than is neccessary, though if you obtain the inside, 
do not give it up unless you are forced to. Still, it will 
be preferable to lose it, rather than get your horse un- 
steady on the first quarter. You are fortunate in getting 
the second place, though the horse that has the pole is one 
of the fast ones. Lie with him until you come to the 
straight work on the back stretch, when you can take the 
pole, if you are able. Should you effect this, ease your 
horse so that he will have to take the outside of you on 
the lower turn, and thus equahze the advantage he had 
on the first. 

Hurrah ! One heat won, and won handily, though here 
are two spokes gone. How did that happen ? 

Pupil. — As you noticed, I pulled back on the turn, and 
as we entered the stretch, I was half a lengih behind. 
When I let loose of Never Mind — which was at the place 
where we were out of sight of the stand — he tried to pull 
across me and force me to the outside. I would not be 
crowded, and I rather think he had the worst of it, as I 
saw a big gap in his wheel. 

Pkeceptoe. — Tou did right. If you had avoided the 
colHsion, it woiild have emboldened him to take further 
advantages. Now, boys, remove the harness, and one of 
you wipe the sweat off. Throw on that long blanket and 
woolen hood, sponge out the horse's mouth and nostrils, 
and walk him a few minutes. There, that will do; tui'n 
his head to the wind and scrape him as expeditiously as 
you can. Put on the clothes, and walk him again. You 



AFTER THE FIRST HEAT. 437 

can now re-scrape liiui, give him a mouthful of water, 
straighten the hair with your rubbers, throw the blanket 
and hood on, leave off the sway and siu-cingie, and walk 
him four or five minutes. He sweats freely, and is cooling 
and recovering cajiitally. His breathing has now become 
natural, so you can di'y up these remaining wet patches. 
Rub lightly: his coat is looking almost as glossy as before 
the start. Put a linen sheet and hood on : the woollen 
might cause him to break out again, and the day is so 
warm that the only clothing required is to keep the sun 
off. Now walk him about slowly till the bell rings to 
harness. 

Well, my scholar, I feel as proud of you as you do of 
your boys. You drove that heat admirably, and by giving 
my old friend that you run into a hint of what he might 
expect, he will be a little careful of how he tries you 
again. If you had shown any symptoms of feai", the case 
would have been different; and when he started to cross 
you on that part of the track where he knew his motions 
would be unobserved, he little thought that you would 
not give way. From his not entering any complaint, he 
is aware that he was wrong, and though he will do his 
utmost to win, you can rely on his not attempting that a 
second time. The next heat will be more desperate, as 
flyer No. Two has not shown what he is capable of yet, 
and I noticed he kept about the same relative position 
until he was stopped inside of the distance. As I pre- 
dicted, the race is now confined to you three, and you will 
be relieved of the trouble of scoring with horses that are 
so much slower. The advantage your inside position give^ 
is a good deal, and if the race could be brought to a close 
with this heat, I would feel positively certain of winning 
it. I judge from the rush to the pool seller's station that 
matters have changed somewhat in the betting, and there 
is an anxiety to get on to the winner of the heat. The 

19* 



438 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

lack of condition is not apparent yet, though I am fearful 
it will show before two more heats are finished. All the 
trouble I look for them to give you now is trying to obtain 
the best of the start, and as long as they do not get lead 
enough to take the pole before you reach the turn, I would 
not care if they had half a length the advantage. Again 
the signal is given. We must not lose any time in getting 
ready. By always ti-ying to give the judges as little trou- 
ble as possible, we gain their favorable opinion; and a 
driver who gains a reputation of not being troublesome, 
will receive more favors than one who is always wrang- 
ling. Boys, sponge Never Mind, and allow him one 
swallow of water. Two to one you win this heat. 

Bravo, again ! Two of the games towards the long rub- 
ber ; though that was a harder and faster heat than the 
other, and Never Mind shows a good deal more distress. 
His legs are shaky, and his breathing more labored. Wrap 
him up as soon as you can. Walk him along till you get 
out of the way of the crowd. He scrapes freely, which is 
one great thing in his favor. Another swallow of water. 
Now off with him. You may give him a mouthful of gruel. 
I thinlc we will not use the sherry yet, as I would much 
rather he would get along without it. He does not cool 
out as well as he did before. Hold his head to the breeze, 
and shower some water on his poll. That will do: his eye 
looks a little brighter. Walk him again, when you can 
finish drying him. 

Pupil. — That was a different affair from the first heat ; 
No. Two is a good deal the best horse. I was afi-aid Never 
Mind was going to quit when about a quarter of the way 
down the home sti'etch, and when the other horse made 
the rally, he would have given me more trouble than he 
did if he had not left his feet. Well, I hope it has been 
as hard for him as ifc was for me, though from his having 
an easy heat of the first, it is not likely. 



THE THIKD HEAT. 439 

Pkeceptoe. — No telling. I notice a good deal of com- 
motion among the party, and their horse may not be in a 
much better fix than onrs. We must disguise our weak- 
ness as much as we can, and must therefore be prompt 
at the ringing of the bell. He is now getting along better, 
and he does not labor so much in breathing, having re- 
covered more rapidly than I expected he would, from his 
appearance at the termination of the heat. His eye has 
also regained its animation, so we will endeavor to win 
this heat, without the aid of anything but a sup of the 
gruel. Save him all you can consistent with keeping the 
lead, which you had better retain, your horse being more 
apt to lose courage, when the others are in advance of 
him. 

Well, our flag is lowered, and that heat is lost. We will 
not throw up the sponge, however, until compelled. You 
will observe how differently he breathes now from what he 
did after the first heat. The respirations were quicker then, 
but he " blew out " forcibly, Q,nd there was not so much ab- 
dominal effort. He still sweats fi-eely, which will aid in re- 
covering him from internal difficulty. Bub him dry rapidly, 
and while the boys are at work, envelop the legs with 
bandages, putting them on reasonably snug. Pick a little 
grass for him to be eating. You were only beaten at the 
very last, and I thought you had the race safe until you 
were half down the stretch. 

Pupil. — He first tired a little beyond the half-mile pole, 
and as I could take a pull coming round the turn, I was 
in hopes he would recover sufficiently to come home. But 
the di-iver of the other horse seemed to discover for the 
first time the difficulty I was in, and kept sending his 
horse as fast as he could, so there was no chance for me 
to save him unless I surrendered the inside. I did not 
think it j)ohcy to do so, and Never Mind struggled along 
with more resolution than I expected. It was a very close 



440 HORSE- PORTRAITURE. 

thing-, and I had hopes of winning to the last, or I should 
have pnlled him up. 

Peeceptok. — It was well that you kept going, as your 
antagonist also exhibited signals of distress, and the horse 
that was saved on the last half mile will now hope to win, 
which will give us a better chance. If these two will 
only make fight for this next heat, we will win the race 
yet. 

Pupil. — I am afraid they will not, as they are evidently 
in collusion. As you could see, one horse was driven at 
me for the half mile, when his driver pulled him to the 
outside, allowing the horse that was trailing to come up, 
without trotting round the other. This was a great saving 
to the winner of the heat, and not having been pushed, 
he could make this brush at the turn, where he lapped me 
with impunity. Perhaps the sherry will revive Never 
Mind so that he can win this next heat. Is it not time 
that we were giving it to him ? 

Preceptoe. — It would be, if I intended to give it this 
^leat. But I think there is a better plan to follow. We 
'vill lay him up this heat, and allow the others to struggle 
'or mastery, and before the next, we will give him the 
timulus. By dropping him inside the distance, he will 
partially recover, and then, with the aid of the sherry, I 
think he will trot the fifth heat nearly as fast as he did the 
third, which will be sure to win. I am confident that 
both parties are anxious to win, and while they would 
" double team " on you, as soon as they think your chances 
are out, wiU endeavor to gain the race fi'om each other. 
Never Mind will go comparatively at his ease, when he 
has the benefit of the eight seconds which he can avail 
himself of. To get the full benefit, you will have to be 
very careful to lose the ground gTadually. In goitig the 
sixteen hundi-ed and sixty yards while the others are mak- 
ing the mile, it will be as well for you to be within twenty 



THE FOURTH HEAT. 441 

yards of tlie leader at the quarter, forty yards at the half 
mile, and seventy at the three-quarters, when you can 
drop the balance coming down the stretch, and pull up as 
soon as you are inside of the red flag. If possible, aid the 
outside horse in getting the best of the send-off, and drop 
immediate!}' behind the leader. This will aid you in two 
ways — your own horse will be mOre hkely to go easier, 
and give the one that has not won a heat the chance to 
commence the contest at once, without losing ground in 
going around you. They are very jubilant over winning 
this trick, and could hardly stop shouting when they knew 
they had gained it. Never Mind, the advice is good not to 
halloo till out of the woods, and they will find there is 
some very tall timber to traverse before the clearing is in 
view. Delay a Httle this time — not enough to try the 
patience of the judges, but sufficient to have them imagine 
you are more anxious than you are to gain time. 

Upon my word, you did it well, and the horse dropped 
back so gradually that it appeared as though he was too 
tired to do more than save his distance, and speculations 
were rife that he would be " shut out." He is not near so 
much distressed as he was in the previous heat, and has 
recovered wonderfully. Barring accidents, I would not 
give five per cent, to be insured this race. He is now sell- 
ing for a trifle in the pools, and we must deputise some 
one to buy him in all of them, provided he can do it with- 
out engendering suspicion. You attend strictly to cooling 
him out. I will go and arrange the pool matter, and take 
a look at the other horses. I will be back in time to give 
him the wine. What a fall we could give thesefellowsif we 
were only in prime condition so that we could give away 
another heat ! Each one of them having won one, there 
would be no danger to let them struggle again as they did 
in this, and in the following one they could both the 
distanced. 



442 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

They do not give Never Mind a thought, and those who 
have put a few dollars on him are loud in their denun- 
ciations and contemptuous notices, characterizing him as 
a dungliill, shoemaker, and every ojDprobious epithet they 
can think of. We will now give him a little more than 
half a pint of sherry, mixed with the same amount of wa- 
ter. Give him a swallow of gruel first. I really beheve 
he has a taste for that twenty-year-old juice, as he licks 
his lips and looks better pleased than he has for some 
time. "Walk him very slowly, and have everything in 
readiness before the bell rings. 

That summons from the judges was to acquaint me 
that a complaint had been made that you were not trying 
to win, and praying that they would appoint another 
driver. It is ten to one that it is the work of those who 
are betting on the other horses, hoping to have a driver 
selected whom they can control. Well, the benefit of a 
good name rarely fails one in an emergency. The judges 
have known me for many years, and when I assured them 
we were determined to win, if we could, they required no 
other guarantee, in spite of the clamors of the complain- 
ants. This forcing a change of drivers cannot be too 
strongly reprobated, and I would recommend that the 
evil of pulUng horses be abolished, by punishing those 
who do it so severely, that they will not have the oppor- 
tunity of doing it again, rather than by taking the man- 
agement away from those who, being more conversant 
with the horse, know the best manner of handling him to 
win. I presume the man I sent to buy pools has followed 
the instructions too closely, buying every one till it was 
apparent that Never Mind had claims they were over- 
looking. 

In driving this heat you can make a rush at the start, 
and take the pole at once, or you can lie closely behind 
till you enter the home stretch. I am satisfied that you 



THE RACE WON'. 443 

can win in either way, and would advise you, if you get 
the best of the start, to adopt the first plan ; and 
if you do not, you can follow the other. If you find that 
you are likely to have the advantage in starting, get on 
the very outside of the track, and strike a straight line for 
the inside at the commencement of the turn. But be very 
careful that you leave plenty of room for the other horses, 
so that they cannot have a shadow of reason for entering 
a complaint. When you get the track, ease him, as I have 
directed before, and while you keep lead enough to 
prevent them bothering you, there will be no necessity 
for opening much of a gap. 

There, boys, you can cheer now, if you desii-e to do so, 
though I always prefer to see people when victorious ex- 
hibit no more excitement than they can help, and accept 
defeat with the same equanimity. To you, my scholar, I 
must offer my congratulations on the skill you have shown 
in driving, when the chances of defeat appeared greatly 
to overweigh those of success, following my orders when 
another course might have looked better. You frightened 
me at first by appearing a little nervous before you took 
your seat in the sulky, though I saw you were as cool as 
a veteran when you became engaged in. the actual contest. 

The judges have announced a postponement of the 
other trot, so one of the boys can go to the barn, and give 
the Falcon half a pail of water and a httle hay. Never 
Mind will require and deserves the best attention. Scrape 
what water you can from his coat, clothe him, walk a few 
minutes, and bring him to the barn. Con, you go to the 
house and get a couple of buckets of hot water. When 
you have him rubbed dry, take both foot tubs and bathe 
his legs from the knees and hocks to the feet, then put the 
bandages on and walk him for ten minutes ; I mil pre- 
pare a mash. When the boy is walking him, give him a 
Bup or two of gruel, and allow him to pick a little hay out 



444 HORSE PORTRAITURE. 

of the hand. The mash must contain ingredients that 
will ad as a cordial and tonic, and the water he drinks 
can be acidulated with the cream of tartar. I will make 
the mash with two quarts of the hominy and oats, and the 
same amount of wheat bran, a table-spoonful of sulphur 
and ground charcoal, a tea-spoonful of powdered golden 
seal, and the same amount of fenugreek seed. This mash 
must be made with boiling water and given when still 
warm. When the walk is finished, give two quarts of the 
oatmeal gi'uel, and while he is being cleaned and brushed, 
he can be allowed to eat a small quantity of haj, and the 
mash proffered him. Should he appear to have no 
appetite, make up his bed, and by shutting up the stable 
he may He down for an hour or two, when a little of the 
tepid acidulated drink can be given. 

From his appearance, I judge there will be no trouble 
in getting him to eat; therefore you can give him the 
mash before he lies down. In three hours more his 
clothes can be taken off, his body lightly wisped, the band- 
ages removed, and his legs well hand-rubbed. Should 
there be any swelling or heat perceivable, the tubs must 
again be used, bathing his legs with hot water for an 
hour, when dry them, and bandage, after having thoroughly 
moistened them with tinctiu'e of arnica, diluted with 
twice its bulk of water. His walk to-morrow morning 
should be for an hoar and a half, clothed so that he will 
be comfortable, but not too warm. He must be gradually 
returned to his full feed and exercise, and if he does as 
well as I think he will, two days will be the farthest time 
that will be required. I forgot to tell you to give him 
two quarts of the mixed hominy and oats, and three 
pounds of hay, before shutting up the stable for the night. 
In the morning give him half his usual feed, and after he 
has finished the walk, he can be permitted to j^ick grass 
for a quarter of an hour. Two houi's' walk in the after- 



BOOTS AND kOLLS. 445 

noon will not be too mucli, provided his legs, or rather 
his joints, be not swollen, and the following morning he 
can be jogged three miles, with a brush the length of the 
stretch. 

Pupil. — Did you observe the amount of leather one of 
these horses wore? I counted eight boots on his fore 
legs alone. 

Preceptor. — There seems to be a passion amongst some 
men to cover a horse's legs with boots, and though there 
are horses that have to wear them to protect some part 
from injury, more are generally used than necessity re- 
quires. I have known people to use them for fear a horse 
might hit himself, although the animal had never shown 
any cause for being thus hampered. I prefer to take the 
pains that will guarantee safety, by looking closely to the 
shoeing and handhng, and find that in nine cases in ten 
the result is satisfactory. Our best harness-makers now 
keep a supply of boots, from which the most fastidious 
can suit themselves, though I must admit a predilection 
for more simple contrivances, which often prove fully as 
effectual. Light buckskin rolls, stuffed with haii', oi 
circlets of India-rubber tubes, will guard the pasterns as 
well as the heavy leathern ones. For instance, a horse 
rarely hurts the quarters with the outside of the toe of 
the shoe ; the injuiy is done with the inside of the web oi 
calking, and if tlais catches on a roll, in place of the heel, 
the foot slips off without doing injury. The shin is often- 
times better protected with a bandage than by the most 
elaborately contrived boot that ever was made ; while 
the knee can be clad with strips of strong cloth envelop- 
ing the part, and fastened with an elastic tape above the 
joint, the upper part being turned over, making a double 
thickness for the foot to strike against. Should the 
protection be needed above the knee, on the inside of the 
arm, the folds are put on thicker, and the cloth not 



446 HOESE POKTRAITUEE. 

turned over, but allowed to extend upwards as far as is 
required. This does not need to be fastened more than 
firmly enough, so that it will not slip over the knee, for if 
it turns on the leg, the protection is still the same. That 
some of the very fastest trotters are " booted all over," is 
not a proof that wearing boots is beneficial, as it may be 
safely laid down that anything unnecessary is an injury. 

This j)ostponement of the race, wliile it has favored us 
by giving us plenty of time to attend to Never Mind, I am 
afraid will result in a longer delay than we will like. See 
how quickly the sky is becoming overcast, and the distant 
thunder and the flashes of lightning are premonitory 
symptoms that the storm is near at hand. 

This long, hot, " dry spell of weather " has culminated, 
and I will venture the prophecy that we will have a lapse 
of several days before the " day and tra.ck " are both good. 
We can tell better, however, before bed-time, when the 
Falcon can either be prepared for to-morrow's race, or 
the muzzle removed, and he be allowed his usual quantity 
of fodder. 



APPENDIX. 



DEXTER 

HIS MEASUREMENT AND DESCRIPTION. 

As a further illustration of Dexter, aside from the very 
correct engraving that forms the frontispiece of this 
volume, I subjoin measurements taken in Chicago, Sep- 
tember 8, 1867 — and comparing them with those of 
Lecomte, Leviathan, Eclipse, and Doubloon. 

I was much gratified to find that these measurements 
— which were carefully taken — tended to prove the cor- 
rectness of the positions in Horse Portraiture, and that 
this noted horse, acknowledged to be superior to all others 
that had preceded him, was formed after the model recom- 
mended as being the best for a fast and lasting trotter. 

In instituting the comparison between him and the 
four noted thoroughbreds included in the tabular state- 
ment, I wanted to see whether he "approximated towards 
the form of the thoroughbred," or whether he had other 
characteristics, that would prove the configuration of the 
blood horse — conceded to be the best for racing speed — 
was not required for fleetness of movement in the roadster. 
Fortunately, Lecomte and Dexter are very nearly of the 
same size, in height, length, and girth, the two measure- 
ments being identically the same, and the only difference 
in the cu'cumference of the chest being three-quarters of 



448 APPENDIX. 

an inch. As the height and length would not be varied by 
the amount of flesh each one carried, it is safe to assume 
that these two horses, so noted in their respective classes, 
were of a size. The estimates arrival at, from a con- 
sideration of the data afforded by this detailed measure- 
ment, should be nearly correct; and when we find a horse 
agreeing with them, we may confidently look for a good 
one, provided he is not deficient in nerve force, which 
cannot be so accurately measured. Both horses gave 
evidence of the possession of that, by their performances, 
and each one displayed it to the eye educated in detecting 
this wonderful power. These measurements were taken 
in the stall and with the assistance of Peter Conover, who 
has had the horse in charge for several years, and I was 
much pleased with the docihty of his charge, who stood 
very quietly while the tape was placed in the most trying 
positions to a nervous animal. 

The height was arrived at by placing him on a plank, 
laying a square on his withers in a level position, and 
measuring with a tape Kne from point to point. Some of 
the measiirements could not be arrived at with the same 
accuracy, as the length of neck, back, &c. But when the 
corresponding points were definitely fixed, great care was 
taken that the results should be exact. 



a a ^ P »j 

^ o ^ b n 

a § ^ 3 § 

MEA8IIKEMENT8 OP (5 3 l3 H O 

inches inches inches inches inches 

Height of withers 62 62 64 61 60 

Length of head 25 24 23} 23} 23' 

" " neck 25 31 30 25 251 

Eonnd the muzzle 19 .. 18^ 20* 18 

" swell of jaws 33 .. 2G .. 32 

Length of back.' 23 21J 18 10 19 

From hip to hip over the loin 19 24 19 . . 23 

Round the body at girth 68i 69 T2 74 Tl 



DEXTEE. 



449 



MEABimEMENTS OF 



Uound the flank oyer the loin 65 

Elbow to ground ' 36} 

Kound the arm at swell 19^ 

" "knee 13 

" " cannon midway 8 

" " hock 14J 

" " cannon, hind leg 8J 

From point of hip to point of hock 40^ 

" " " hock to ground 23 

From point of shoulder to point of buttock 62 

Round stifle 39} 

" tibia IT 

" neck, at the head 31} 

" " "body ... 42i 

" the barrel 71 

from point to point of shoulder 13 

" back of knee to the ground 19 

" " " " to middle of pastern 11 

Length of hip 22 



i 
1 


1 


o 


o 

i 


hes 


nches inches inches 


68 


72 


74 


71 


36 


37i 


36J 


35} 


20} 


22 


m 


20 


m 


m 


m 


12i 


8* 


9 


n 


Ti 


16 


161 


163 


15i 


8* 


9* 


Si 


84 


41 


42i 


m 


384 


25 


25 


24| 


22 


62 


69 


65} 


64 


89 • 


40 




82 




18 


18} 


17 


29 


30 


31 


30i 




47 


45 


53 


74 






78 


15 




•• 





In looking over the tabular statement of their respective, 
measurements, and comparing those of Dexter with the 
others, no great divergence is manifest. Dexter's head is 
long, longer than either of the others, although the 
thoroughbred characteristics are plainly developed. There 
is no superfluous flesh, and while the taj)e line shows him 
to be larger in the swell of the jaws, he is beautifully 
carved out below the eyes tiU the muzzle is finer than 
Eclipse and in the same propoi-tion to the upper part as 
Doubloon. Tn considering the neck and its relative pro- 
portions with the others, the disagreement is reconciled 
from the fact that they were entire, while the emascula- 
tion of Dexter would take away from the measurement at 
its base more than at the setting- n of the head. At this 
point he is finer than would be inferred from his being 
larger than the others, the thickness being in a horizontal 



450 APPENDIX 

direction, while the windpipe is so much detached that 
the Una was carried away quite a. distance from the lower 
part of the neck. The length of a horse's back would 
hardly be agreed upon by two men measuring the same 
animal at different periods. The length given in the table 
is from the springing of the withers to the " coupling." 

A line from the posterior part of the shoulder-blades 
to the hip would take away enough from the twenty-five 
inches, to render his back no longer than that of 
EcUpse or Doubloon. The distance from "hip to hip 
over the loin" shows that the points of his hips are more 
elevated than the rest, with the exception of Leviathan, 
which is also shown by the great distance from the "point 
of the hip to the point of the hock." The girth depend- 
ing greatly on the condition of the horse, and the i^re- 
sumption being that Leviathan, Eclipse, and Doubloon 
were not in training when the measurements were taken, 
and that Lecomte and Dexter carried about the same 
flesh, their lower condition would account for the dis- 
crepancy in the circumference of the chest. 

The same remark will apply to the meastu'ement round 
the flank, which could he still more varied by the stomach 
being full or empty, the length of time in training, &c. 

The next distance in the table is the height of the elbow 
above the ground surface, which is the same as in Eclipse 
who was an inch lower, one inch greater than Doubloon, 
two inches being the variation in their height, three- 
quarters of an inch less than Leviathan, and three-quar- 
ters more than Lecomte. There is therefore no marked 
distinction in this point. We now come to a measurement 
showing the volume of muscle in a place that is acknowl- 
edged to have a good deal to do with rapid progi-ession, 
."iz: the circumference of the arm at the swell. These 
muscles acting on the ligaments and teudon^ which 
extend the fore-leg, and the power with which they act, 



D E X T E K . 451 

and the celerity of their dilatation and construction, 
govern the length and quickness of the stride. While it 
is impossible to say from an outside measurement which 
is the most muscular animal when there is only a third of 
an inch less diameter in the arm, and when harder or 
longer continued work had fined down the tissue in one 
more tlaan the other, and while the effect between gallop- 
ing or trotting in augmenting the muscular development, 
cannot be definitely stated, Lecomte was, and Dexter is, 
a very powerful animal in this particular, which further 
consideration will certainly show. 

"Around the knee" Dexter is larger than any of the 
others, the place where the measurement was taken being 
squarely across the bony projection, to which the back 
muscles are attached by their tendons. The measui'emeut 
around the cannon, being only exceded by Leviathan and 
Lecomte, shows that he is the equal of a majority of 
thoroughbreds in this particular. Not only is the size 
analagous, but the appearance is similar, and his legs 
show the preponderance of the racing blood that flows in 
his veins. Around the hock he is smaller than any that 
I am comparing him with, and after an hour's critical ex- 
amination, the most faulty point I coidd find was the shape 
of his left hock. 

There is a little fullness observable in the lower and 
outer portion of the joint, which I have no doubt has 
always existed. The hardest usage might never effect it, 
as I have seen much worse withstand the wear and strain 
of several season's racing. Still, in an animal otherwise 
as well formed as Dexter, it is a great pity that this defect 
ehould exist. The off hock is finely shaped, and the 
width above them is greater than is usually seen. " From 
point of hip to point of hock " he will compare favorably 
with the very best, while from the last mentioned point to 
\he ground, the distance is less than any, save Doubloon. 



452 APPENDIX. 

This configuration lias always been recognized as a mark 
of speed, and many of our best race borses have exbibited 
this formation. There have been exceptions as was 
instanced by Don John, a horse of the greatest speed and 
endurance, and while I would have no objections to 
greater length in the metatarsal bones, a majority would 
prefer a horse to be "well let down in the hocks" after 
the fashion of Boston and Dexter. Both of these horses 
were comparatively long in the posterior measurement 
occasioned by the great length of os calcis; and the angles 
of the propelling limb are such as a good judge would 
jjronouuce to be proper for the fulfillment of the duties 
reqiiired of them, moving in a way that would be the 
least exhaustive of the power furnished by the muscles. 

The measurement around the stifle is tremendous, and 
it was only after several readjustments of the tape that I 
could be satisfied we had got it correctly. Larger than 
all except the great horse Leviathan, and then only lack- 
ing a quarter of an inch, where the other was seven inches 
longer in body, is certainly very remarkable. The volume 
of muscles covering the fi'amework, is the reason for this 
large girth, and the merest tyro in equine anatomy will 
readily see the effects of having such a magazine of power 
to propel the body along. 

The lower thigh is larger than usual, and though not 
equaling Leviathan or Echpse, yet being the same as 
Doubloon, a horse that was more than ordinarily power- 
ful, shows that it is in harmony with the muscles located 
at a higher point. The circumference of the barrel is 
about in relative proportion with the others, taking the 
girth of the chest and flank as criteria to be guided by. 
This gives the wedge-like form, the very best configura- 
tion for sjDced and lastiugness. " From point to jDoiut of 
shoulder" the distance is shorter than Lecomte, and to 
those familiar with both these horses the aid of a tape 



D E X T E E . 453 

line would not be necessary to point this out. The race 
horse was " as thick through as a hay-stack " to use an 
Enghsh expression, while the trotter, though showing no 
want of substance, is rather more delicately formed. 

In giving these various measurements, it is not intended 
to reduce the characteristics of conformation to mathemat- 
ical rules, and thus try to fix an absolute guide to perfec- 
tion of form. But fi'om finding that a great majority of 
first-class performers on the racing arena are "fashioned 
after a particular pattern," it is fair to conclude, that the 
fast trotter also has an outward reason — ^patent to the 
observing eye — why he is capable of excelling in his man- 
ner of progression. 

That Dexter 's form "approximates to the first-class race 
horse" cannot be doubted by any one who will study 
these comparative measurements, while his general ap- 
pearance brings the parallel still closer. 

I found from a close examination of him in his stall 
that this highbred appearance was more apparent than 
when in harness, or when seeing him at speed on the 
track, and I will now try to convey the idea of "what sort 
of a looking horse is Dexter," a question I have heard 
asked a thousand times. 

In color he is a brown, with shades of a lighter hue, the 
more prominent parts being so light as to come under the 
denomination of bay. This shading is very pleasing to 
me, bringing into prominence the muscles, and softening 
down the more angular portions of his frame. The white 
marking in his face is different from any of the prints or 
pictures that I have seen. In place of coming i-ound more 
jinder the left eye than the right, it narrows ahke on both 
sides, following truly down the nose nearly to the nostrils, 
where it diverges, covering almost the whole of the upper 
lip. The white legs are truthfully depicted in the engrav- 
ing. His coat is silky, the hair in the mane and tail being 

20 



454 APPENDIX. 

fine. There are a few small flesh-colored spots under the 
eye and along the sides. His head is large and bony, 
very well shaj^ed, and showing in the full rounded fore- 
head, and in the exjoression of the eye, that the nei've force 
predominates to an unusual extent. The eye itself is 
beautiful, prominent, and clear, with a small speck of 
"glass" in the lower corner of each, giving greater effect 
to the brilliant hazel of the eyeball. His ears are long, 
slender, in fact just the ear that is rei^resented as gracing 
the head of the Falcon, and which adds in my estimation 
more to the beauty of the horse than any other point of 
adornment whatever. He carries them well, and whether 
at rest or in motion, they are sure to attract attention. 
His neck is of medium length, slightly drooping in front 
of the withers with very little elevation of crest. The head 
is finely joined to it, and there is plenty of room for the 
windpipe between the jaw-bones. 

His shoulder is very good, the scapula falling back 
obliquely into the sway, while the point is well advanced, 
and the leg falls truly from thence to the ground. 

He " forks " beautifully, and very few race horses equal 
bim in this respect, or are superior in the form of the 
brisket. The knee, as shown from the measurement, is 
large and broad, with the bony projection behind well 
developed. There is a small splent on the near fore-leg, 
but far enough from the tendons and joint so that it never 
can do injury. His pasterns are obhque and of good 
length, without showing any appearance of weakness; the 
joints round, and giving no evidence that the many races 
he has trotted has effected them in the least. Like the 
race horse there are no long hairs on the upper pastern. 
His feet, though white, are first-rate, and it is a singular 
circumstance that the frog in each one is black, though 
the sole surrounding them is the same color as the walk 
His middle piece is good being very deep through the 



DEXTER. 455 

heart, with the curvature of the ribs increasing to the 
centre of the barrel. The spine rises in front of the 
coupling, giving him an arched loin, yet not high enough 
to look unsightly. His back ribs might be a Httle longer, 
though they approach the hip very closely; and were it 
not that the stifles are placed unusually low, this would 
surely interfere with his great speed. This conformation 
then adds to his endurance, while the sj^eed is not sac- 
rificed, owing to the placing of the stifles. His hip is long 
and sloping, with the tail set on low. The effect of a slop- 
ing hip has been fully considered in the chapter on form, 
and it would be useless to rehearse it here. 

With the exception mentioned about the near hock, his 
hind-legs are fii"st-rate, muscular, with those of the upper 
thigh and stifle predominating, yet there is a balance kept 
up and the long firm muscles are appropriately terminated 
in large tendons. 

The hamstring is very large, and the back cords are of 
fine size and stand out well from the bone. There is no 
puffiness about the hocks or pasterns, or any appearance 
to indicate that the work he has had has been prejudicial 
to them. In this respect his legs look better than when 
I saw him last year, as then there was a tendency to 
cracking in the heels, of which there is no symptom now. 
Standing squarely behind him, a person is astonished at 
the power shown from the loin to the gaskin. Though 
the hips are wide and somewhat ragged, the stifles are still 
wider, and at the hazard of being thought tedious, I can- 
not refrain from again calling attention to this develop- 
ment. The muscles that run from the ileum to the 
femur are so large that when the horse walks they become 
apparent to the eye, ridging the skin as if striving to 
break through the silky covering, while kindred masses 
so extend the quarters that he fills up a breeching that 
would be too long for a much larger horse. 



456 APPENDIX 

Forty-two and a half inches was the measurement from 
stifle to stifle around where the breeching would come. 
He is very compactly formed underneath the tail, " well 
pocketed" as I have heard old horsemen express it, and 
not divided hke a pair of tongs. 

Standing, where a side view can be obtained, the gray- 
hound form is observable. The deep chest, receding flank, 
sloping hip, long thigh, and short cannon, placed at the 
proper angle, are after the model of the fleetest of animals, 
while the hare-formed brisket and perpendicular fall of 
the front leg, with the elastic spring of the sloping shoul- 
der and pastern, show that the power apj^lied will have 
no inert mass to move, but the rebound will equal that of 
the rubber ball when it strikes the ground. The front 
view shows the mass of brain, the expressive eye and ear, 
the large nostril, the baiTel swelling on each side of the 
shoulders, and behind that the curved line of the immense 
quarters. Standing squarely on his feet, the toes of the 
front ones are fairly in line, owing to the proper placing 
of the elbow, which is parallel to his body, whUe the hind 
have a slight outward inclination, due the position they 
got from the hock. There is nothing in his appearance to 
show that other than royal blood runs in his veins, and 
were he placed in a stable of race horses, his pedigree 
would not be questioned from his looks, sooner, than many 
that have distinguished themselves on the legitimate tiu-f. 
One of the great tests of blood is the fine texture of the 
hoofs : this Dexter has. Another is the thinness of the 
skin, and prominence of the sujjerficial veins: these he 
also possesses. Width between the jaw-bones, and the 
sharpness of their edge, characterize him as weU as those 
that are higher bred. His walk is exactly that of the race 
hoi'se. From weighing these distinctive marks of breed- 
ing, I am led to believe that the only blood iu him other- 
wise than that of the race horse, is that which he obtains 



DEXTEE. 



457 



from his great-grandsii-e, imported Bellfounder, and that 
the purer has completely obliterated that and canceled its 
bad effects. 

His manner of going is peculiar to himself, and while 
his trotting-gait is as even as the movement of a well-con- 
structed watch, he goes with so much power that he fairly 
makes the track jar with the energy of his motion. This 
I think is due to the long sweep from the hip to the hock, 
and the tremendous force of the muscles between these 
two points. I saw an illustration of this in his late race 
in Chicago. In coming to the score with Brown George 
and running mate, he detached a ball of clay from his 
shoe ; it flew into the air hke a bomb projected from a 
mortar, and describing the same kind of a cui've, fell adja- 
cent to the three-in-five distance stand. 

The Chicago track is constructed with a coating of clay 
laid on the natural soil of the low prairie. There is a good 
deal of elasticity, or rather there is a vibratory motion 
when the horses pass over it, perhaps more sensibly felt 
in the judges' stand than any other place. I feel positive 
that 1 might have been blindfolded and placed in the 
stand, and all the horses at the park driven by at speed, 
when I could have selected Dexter from the throng a 
dozen times in succession, from the greater jar that he 
gave the building. 

While other horses on the turf may possess as much 
speed, as is instanced by the trotting with a running mate, 
they are incapable of keeping it; while Dexter commences 
at the outest, and the brush lasts till his anticipated task 
is completed. There is no faltering, clambering, or dwelHng, 
but the steady rate is persevered in, and the powerful 
stroke kept up with the same ease with which Kentucky 
or Asteroid takes his daily exercise. I have not had the 
pleasure of seeing Kentucky since he was two years old, 
but have seen the other great horse run in many of his 



458 APPENDIX. 

races, and I have been struck with the parallel between 
his racing and Dexter's trotting. Asteroid starts at a 
sweeping rate, at the tap of the drum, his competitors 
straining every nerve to keep up. They do so for a time, 
and when they fall off, you wonder what has been the 
cause. You see no change in the son of Lexington and 
Nebula : he comes in winning "in a big gallop " as the 
boys say, but that gallop has been enough to break the 
heart of his adversaries, without actually being a measure 
of his own powers. 

It is almost needless to say that I am gratified to find 
the form of Dexter agreeing with that recommended in 
chapter twenty-six, and also his great resemblance to a 
first-class race horse. 

Recognized as being the only type that will answer for 
continued rapid exertion at the natural fast pace of the 
horse — the gallop, it is but reasonable to conclude that 
the perfect symmetry only found in the blood horse, or 
those nearly allied to him, is an advantage that cannot be 
overlooked in the trotter. 



INDEX 



PAGE 

ABDALLAn, Description of SOS 

Allonging 170 

The colts in tlae snow 368 

Anatomy, A Icnowledge of, necessary to un- 
derstand tlie frame of the horse 22S 

Andrew Jackson, Pedigree of 305 

Ariel, Pedigree of 311 

Preponderance of Messenger blood.. 56 
AttTEKiEs and veins 263 

Bandages, How to apply them after a sweat- 
ing 299 

Length, breadth, etc Ill 

How to put on 114 

The duties of, wet and dry, etc.. 113 
When they ought to be used for 

support 114 

Bath, Turkish or Koman, benefit of 186 

Bearing or check rein, " Keuible Jackson " 

check 177 

Bedding, Material of — Straw, sawdust, sand. 294 

Beeswing 20 

Bit, Curb, practical exempliflcation of 181 

Bits, Different varieties of 176 

for sore mouths 183 

Leather and silk 177 

Bitting 169 

Blanketing, when giving the first sweats.. 298 

Blinders, their uses 247 

Blistering 185, 136 

Blood, Benefit of 

Benefit of, in trotters 42 

Changes, how a rapid pace affects it.. 261 

Blood-Horses, Longevity of. 

Bolting, Dangers of, how to remedy 47 

Boots, Contrivance to take their place 445 

For May-day 203 

Bkain, The scat of nerve force 893 

Evidence of a large 395 

Large, necessity of 32 

Bkan and bran mashes 252 

Breaking from a trot, importance of teacli- 

ing a horse not to break 83 

Importance of obedience to com- 
mands 335 

Eecovering a horse from a break 231 

Stallion 71 

Bbeeding, Advantages of a mixture of 

French blood 46 

The Messenger blood 303 

In, necessary to establish a fixed 
type 58 



PAOB 

Breeding, Pleasure of 43 

Bridles, how they should fit 247 

Buildings on breeding farms, adornments.. 67 

Calluses formed by pulling. 25 

Camp Life 29 

Cakrying the tongue out of the mouth 18i! 

Cauterizing, The benefits of 419 

Charmer and Betsey Malone 129 

Chifney's Instructions 177 

Clipper, Description and history of 44 

Grazing and alterative medicine for 

hiui 135 

His first brush 408 

How his legs will have to be treated 407 
How to cure him of bolting and 

breaking 47 

The treatment pursued with 3S6 

Want of condition, ailment, etc 45 

Clotbing 114, 115 

After the sweat, and when cooling 

out 298 

For first sweats, amount of, and 

how to put it on 297 

Injury from using it too often 20 

Colic, Poisoning horses with colic drenches 227 

Colts, Breaking, first lessons 166 

By Andrew Jackson — One-eye 305 

Fall and winter-quarters 60 

General description of the colts in the 

"Trial Stable" 217 

How a wild colt was broken 200 

How to be treated when yearlings. . . 124 

Learning young colts to eat 68 

Playing in the field 143 

Preparing fall pasturage for the wean- 
lings 59 

Proper method of working 899 

Removal of parasites, mercurial oint- 
ment 69 

Eequire cow's milk at times 70 

Scouring, remedies for 226 

Should be driven with and without 

blinds 248 

Stakes, the benefits of 142 

The care of them during the winter.. 68 

Uses of the check-rein. 171 

Variety of food necessary 125 

When and how to wean 59 

Winter rations CO 

Wrong way of rearing 27 

Condition, tests of ". 381 



460 



INDEX. 



PACE 

Corn, Indian 358 

Coronary ligaments, enlargement of, taken 

for ringbone 228 

Country Life 207 

Cutting, A heavier shoo may remedy it 204 

Between the hoof and pastern of 

hind foot 78 

Do., do., roll to prevent 203 

Dangers of, on a lialf mile track . . 205 
How to determine, by painting 

the foot 204 

How to dress the wound 380 

The quarters 95, 97, 98 

The quarters from bad shoeing. . 379 

Deoakbonization of the blood 286 

Dboiikation of horses 116 

Dentition 173 

Dexter 447 

Comparison, measurements, etc 448 

Description 449-458 

Difference between trotting and running.. 184 
Direction for work in the Preceptor''s ab- 
sence 1 74 

Distress, internal, how to relieve it 278 

Drawbacks to training in early days 30 

" Drawing fine " 268 

Driver, Qualifications for a 423 

Drivers, Peculiarities of 231 

Driving, Bad driving the reason for a horse 

grabbing 98 

How to handle the reins 24 

Necessity of " light hands " 25 

On the road 187 

Skill in 413 

Elbow, ITow to prevent injury to 814 

English Colts, Their appearance when year- 
lings 128 

Exercise, Necessity for it at all times 148 

Experiments to show the eflfects of a high 
check 178 

Falcon, The, His form, description and ped- 
igree 81-35 

His first trial 425 

History of 35^1 

History of work, condition, etc 3S4 

Instruction for driving 402 

Preceptor drives him on the road. . . . 194 

Preparation for a ten mile race 289 

Preponderance of Messenger blood in 306 

Weight of his shoe 98 

Farm, Breeding 52-55 

Fat, Diminution of it essential 185 

Effect of inside fat on the heart and 

lungs 260 

How it is deposited and absorbed 262 

Necessity for, when commencing train- 
ing 185 

Necessity for removal 263 

Outside 265 

"Taking on" 268 

Feed, How to prepare 251 

Mixture, hominy, oats, bran, etc 252 

The effects of, in different horses 224 

Feeding, " Poor Feeder," causes when 

young 27 

The number of feeds, time of giv- 
ing, quantity, etc 137 

Febd-room should be locked, and why 253 



PAOt 

Feet, Care of, picking, washing, etc 876 

Effect of muddy roads on 149 

Position of tlie feet in trotting and run- 
ning, illustrated with a diagram 409 

Pence for track 164 

Firing, Percival's opinion of 419 

Food, Hay, cornblades, straw, etc 349 

Table of comparative values 356 

Form 32-S5 

The best form for a trotter, and the rea- 
sons why such a configuration is the 
best 388-392 

Gen. Grant naming a colt at the Illinois 
fair 158 

GOVERMENTAL aid 149 

Grass, Benefits of, why better than bran 

ma.shes 201 

Grazing and sago gruel, comparison, etc ... 860 
Grooming and rubbing sometimes overdone 107 

Cruelty in 109 

Currycomb and brush, how to be 

used 106 

Rubbing cloths, wisp, how to use 

them Ill 

The reasons for, and effects of.. . . . 107 

Half-bred, The English definition of 127 

Hair Mittens, Benefits of, forathiu-skinned 

horse 110 

Harnf.ss, how to adjust 230 

Harnessing, Necessity of, care in 229 

Hat, Best quality, how to determine it 349 

Different kinds 352 

Prairie hay, medicinal effects of 354 

Time for feeding, when training 356 

"Hippodroming" 145 

Hippopathology 225 

HlPPOPlIYBIOLOGY 259 

Hirondelle, Pedigree and characteristics.. . 78 

Over trotting herself 78 

Hieondelle'b Manner of trotting 205 

Hominy 252 

Ice, a race on the ice in Chicago 28T 

Benefits of driving on the ice 23fi 

Injury from lying on the shoe 313 

Iowa, Advantages of, for breeding horses. . . 74 

Jane, Description and pedigree of 22 

Commencement of her trotting educa- 
tion 28 

Further instructions for driving 404 

How she should be .shod 99 

How to drive her 283 

Kemblb Jackson check 179 

Kicking straps 251 

Kindness must be enforced K'8 

King, His history, etc., extreme wildness.. . 86 
Kkeb boots 26 

Hitting it, caused by wrong set uf the 
elbows 25 

Instrument to cure hitting 80 

Treatment for enlargement of, old 
standing 99 

Do., do., recent injury 90 

Lessons in breaking 375 

Lexington and Sallie Waters 91 

At the St. Louis Fair 82 



INDEX. 



461 



PAGE 

liOOKJAW from careless shoeing 104 

Treatment of 105 

LoNO and short horses 397 

Mambbino Chief, Pedigree 309 

Make that would not stand, how she was 

cured 196 

Maebs, Accommodation for brood 58 

Breeding in and in 58 

Gestation and parturition, nursing.. 70 

How to feed 69 

Proper manner of feeding brood- 
mares 59 

The proper kind to breed from 57 

"Winter quarters for 69 

Martingale, long and short, their eflfects... 231 

Further remarks on 244 

MA8H, how to make 291 

Max i>ATi Appearance, description, etc 76 

Boots and rollers to prevent cut- 
ting hind pastern 203 

Faults of her form 77 

Heavy shoes, the consequence of. . 841 

Her first drive 292 

Her manner of going, how to cor- 
rect, etc ". 202 

Time of her first Trial 412 

Mavoukneen, Description of 81 

MessenqEK and his descendants 303 

History of, his location 319 

Muscles, Removal of fat from the interstices. 265 

Naming Farms 66 

Narrowness of skull a token of want of 

sense 20 

Neck, Efi'ects of sweating on 266 

Large neck, why it is prejudicial 267 

Never Mind, Description of 19 

Care and food after his first 

sweat 312 

Cuts his quarter, what occa- 
sioned it 380 

Examination of him after the 

brush 271 

His condition 431 

His first brush 257 

His first race 435 

His first sweat, how to clothe 

and treat 295 

His manner of walking 221 

Morning of the race 429 

Necessity for grazing 222 

Preceptor's opinion of him 

after driving him 199 

The trial of 427 

The work given him, appear- 
ance, etc 385 

Treatment of the night before 

his first sweat 293 

"Weight of shoe jiroper for him 97 
Wins after a hard struggle and 

broken heats 443 

NOMENOLATITRE 20 

Oats Amount of busk .357 

Description of good, how they should 

be prepared 251 

Mixing hominy, the proportion, etc. .. 262 
Reasons for mixing hominy with them 254 
"When and how to feed 359 

Old time trotters 321 



PAOK 

Order must be enforced in stable duties.... 117 
Oriole fel 

Padbocks, How to construct 58 

PiiTsic, Courses of, in the old system of 

training 222 

Danger of 48 

How it acts 223 

How to reduce a horse without phy- 
sic 228 

Reason for discarding, in training.. . 222 

Prairie, A western 73 

Pulling horses, how remedy the evil 176 

On one rein 180 

On the bit detrimental 246 

Qhality in horses 156 

Qdben Maet 21 

Race, After care, feeding, management, etc. 443 

Care between heats 437 

How to feed, etc., etc 4-35 

Morning at 441 

Never Mind's first race, description of 

it 437 

Preparation for a 4.35 

Rarby's plan of breaking will not always do 86 

Respiration 261 

Roadster, The model for a 387 

Rubbers, Qualification for good 109 

Benefit of encouraging them to 

read 109 

Rubbing cloths, best material for Ill 

Rules for the stable 108 

Running, The sound made by horses' feet 

when running 204 

Rysdtk's Hambletonian, Pedigree of. 804 

Sago, Its uses 359 

Seasoning 269 

Shakspere's description of a race-horse 140 

Shoeing, Advantages of a swedged rim 96 

Difference of for various horses.. . 95 
Efl'ects of weight on the action.... 98 

Form of the shoe, swedging 94 

How the foot should be pared 97 

Lockjaw from bad shoeing 104 

Manner of weighting to avoid hit- 
ting the knee . . 99 

Plan of nailing, laow to "clinch.".. 94 

Shoe for the hind foot 95 

Shoes and plates 98 

Sole should not be cut 97 

Singular instance of lameness from 

a"" split na;i." 220 

Silver Lake, Pa., Description of 190 

Skin, How exudation takes place 262 

Skewers, How they should be made, their 

uses, etc .' Ill 

Smoking not to be tolerated in the stable 81 

Speed ensures bottom 141 

" Sponging out" 873 

Stable, Arrangement of the horses in the 

"Trial Stable" 106 

Furniture, rules, etc 108 

How it should look, location, etc 50 

Interior arrangements for twenty 

horses 131 

Management 105 

Octagonal 133 

Plan for a training stable. 130 



462 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

srABLK Tricks: crib-biting, weaving, pining, 

etc 157-159 

8 CALLION, Selection of, fur breeding farm 70 

Teacliing him to trot 71 

The best color for a 57 

Tile proper stallion to breed from. 56 

Stalls, Arrangement of equipments 107 

STi.NinLANTS between heats 3<i9 

Stony Ford, breeding farm 325 

Stride, lieasons for a falling off. . .' 411 

'■Strides," Advantage of measuring 405 

Style 172 

Sweating, Appearance after, 299 

Between heats 273 

Change in the appearance of the 

sweat 262 

Design of the first sweats 115 

Difference of, between colts and 

aged horses 291 

Dissertation on 258 

Effects on the skin 262 

Effects on the blood 263 

Horses may be too hot to sweat. . 274 

How to clothe 296 

How to feed the night previous.. 269 

Injury to the loins from 267 

Its effect on tiie respiratory organs 259 

Local effect of 266 

Mash previous to sweating, how 

to make it 291 

Motion of the lungs and heart. . . . 260 
Necessity for, and how to induce. 273 

Of Never Mind, the first one 296 

Preparation for and care after, 

necessary 117 

Purification of the skin from 287 

Eace lost by horse not sweating.. 275 
Reasons for tlie system followed, 300 
Recommendation of the plan 

given 260 

Scraping and rubbing dry 297 

The benefits of, on the internal 

economy 263 

The benefits of, to the muscles. . . 265 

The proper clothing for 115 

Time fur, repetition of, etc 268 

Walk alter the sweat 299 

Walk before 295 

With hot air ; Black Maria's race 289 
Work the day after 384 

Tbbth, How to remedy their cutting the lips. 173 

Tkmpbu, a horse takes his cue from the driver 233 

Importance of docility 83 



PAfiR 

Theory of breeding 396 

Throat irritation taken for heaveB. ...,,.,. 19 
Tracks, The narrow track an advantage in 

training 79 

Best form, undulations, etc 79 

Proper soil for 80 

The disadvantages of half a mile ... 79 
Trainers, Benefits of a liberal education.. .. 219 

Perplexities of 331 

Training, Effects of bad weather 333 

Intention of, definition, etc 183 

Oats, hominy, corn and beans in.. 2'^4 

Old method of 91 

Physic 22;i 

Retrospect of first part 18-3 

The necessity for patience in 42 

Water in, soft and hard, etc 371 

Treatment of the horses in the first stage of 

training 137 

Trials 417 

Trotter, How to feed before a trial 418 

The proper form for a 388 

Trotters, Different blood, of what families. 308 

Necessity for " blood" in 48 

Trotting, How a horse moves his feet when 

trotting 20;^ 

On the ice 235 

Track ; construction of 16^165 

Veins and arteries 263 

Prominence of, in the thoroughbred.. 287 
Superficial, and their uses 287 

Walk before the sweat 320 

Walking at the commencement of training. 93 

Can be prolonged too much . 185 

Effects of, change of location 92 

E.xercise, time occupied in the first 

stage 1"7 

Importance of 92 

Old plan of walking horses 91 

Proper clothing during walking 

exercise 92 

Wallowing Bed, advantages of 295 

Water, Regulating the amount given 376 

Watering after driving. 362 

Western stables 51 

Wet bandages, when they should be worn. 113 

Winter-quarters for a trotter 48,49 

Wintering, How to winter a trotter 48,49 

Women, trees and horses 156 

Work, Importance of regularity, change of 

location, etc 2.^.6 

In the mud, how to protect the horse. 419 



